While the film’s title may conjure up all sorts of “exotic” motifs, Samui Song reveals itself to be a multifaceted dark thriller and a biting social commentary on both the Thai upper class and the powers of local religious cults. (Worth mentioning also is the film’s confident ending and its ability to bring cinema itself into the mix.) Viyada is a successful soap opera actress growing unhappy with her career and her marriage to Jerome, a rich foreign national who, despite Viyada’s warnings, has fallen under the sway of an alternative cult founded by a murky figure named the Holy One. A chance encounter resulting from what could best be described as a Hitchcockian “MacGuffin,” brings Viyada into contact with Guy, a seemingly suave man who upon hearing about Viyada’s marital troubles, wastes no time in offering his services to get rid of Jerome. “Your case doesn’t sound complicated,” is Guy’s ill-advised assessment of what lies ahead once Viyada decides to set things in motion. . . (Davide CAZZARO)