Alone tells the story of Pim who moved from Thailand to Korea to escape the guilt of being the surviving half of a conjoined twin. Flashbacks to Pim’s childhood show how the bittersweet relationship with her sister, and their commitment to stay together forever, transforms into a repressive bond that ultimately leads to a separation. After she returns to visit her dying mother, the spirit of her dead sister angrily thrusts herself into Pim’s life.
Asian Horror Review Website: Alone Review
Alone is a hard-to-come-by horror film from Thailand that took quite some effort to track down. I was able to track a region-free DVD copy from a generous individual from Malaysia who only asked me to cover the shipping costs. I was excited to be adding Alone to my collection of Asian horror cinema, and I couldn’t wait to give this one a watch. Alone is a product of directors Banjong Pisanthanakun, Parkpoom Wongpoom, who brought us the hit Asian horror film Shutter three years prior.
It took me a few months to find a good time to sit down and give Alone a viewing. When I did, I turned off the lights in my office and put on my headphones. Initially, the movie played on redundant tropes, including the jump scare. While some were eye-roll-inducing, others were effective and almost had me… Almost. As the film continued, it unraveled a sad story of conjoined twins who have a falling out because one of them resents the other for literally being attached to one another. After the other dies supposedly due to the surgery, Pim is haunted by her twin, Ploy, and ghostly shenanigans ensue.
Although Alone took a little while before it eventually picked up, I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I would even say that, although different, it would be along the lines of the South Korean horror film, A Tale of Two Sisters, a superior film, in my opinion. Still, I could not help but feel touched by the story of the siblings and the tragic outcome of their actions. Alone had a plethora of jump scares, most of which were ineffective, but that did little to deter my enjoyment. The filmmakers used, to great effect, mirrors and reflections. Unfortunately, I was able to pick up where the story was headed about halfway through the film. This is not to say that it is predictable. Still, to those who watch a ton of cinema, especially horror, then yeah, you might say that it is predictable.