When the promise of easy money appears, can anyone truly escape the cost?
Thai film, Everybody Loves Me When I’m Dead, premieres on Oct 14 and is a gripping drama where desperation, ambition and family ties collide with the shadows of the underworld.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Nithiwat Tharatorn, the film explores the tangled web of middle-class aspirations, family dysfunction and the high-stakes world of banking, all set against the backdrop of a society where the lines between right and wrong are blurred. Known for his heartwarming series Analog Squad, Nithiwat ventures into the drama-thriller genre for the first time, portraying human and family relationships with a new perspective and flavour.
“Everybody Loves Me When I’m Dead started with the concept of dormant accounts – something people might not realise is actually very close to their daily lives – merged with the high-stakes narrative,’ he says. ‘While this may appear to have a different mood from my previous works, the core theme of relationships between people and families remains at the heart of the film. My intention is to gently provoke viewers into contemplating the true purpose behind life struggles. I believe it will resonate with everyone.’
The film leads viewers go on a suspenseful ride with two bank employees pushed to the brink. Toh and Petch plan to steal money from the dormant account of an elderly woman who dies alone, unaware that this decision will lead them to face a dangerous path that spirals out of control.
Theeradej Wongpuapan makes a rare and powerful return to film. Also joining the cast is Chulachak Chakrabongse, who brings a mysterious edge to the criminal underworld, and introduces newcomers Vachirawich Wattanapakdeepaisan and Fatima Dechawaleekul.
Theeradej, who plays Toh, a bank employee and the sole breadwinner for his family, faces a midlife crisis as his career is threatened by technology while he shoulders all the household expenses. Speaking about returning to acting in a film after a long hiatus, he says, ‘It took a lot of adjustment. I had to read the script, rehearse, and workshop to truly understand Toh. He’s lived by the rules his whole life, so breaking them opens him up to a completely unknown world. He loses all sense of reason and goes too far, reaching a point of no return. The film makes you question how far someone will go for the ones they love. It’s unique, tackles fresh issues, and is incredibly thought-provoking.”
Vachirawich plays Petch, a young bank employee who discovers B30 million lying in a dormant account and ultimately persuades Toh to take the money out. ‘This film isn’t just thrilling; it’s relatable. It explores family, relationships, and even dormant bank accounts. That makes it more personal than other thrillers. Petch, the character I play, is laid-back but driven to survive. Dig deeper, and you’ll find reasons behind his actions and valuable lessons for the audience,” he says.
Chulachak plays Vodka, a cold-blooded hitman working for Kamnan Mhu, a powerful local figure determined to track down the B30 million in the elderly woman’s dormant account. Fatima plays the deceased woman’s daughter, abandoned at a young age. As the sole legal heir to the fortune, she becomes Vodka’s target despite being estranged from her mother.
Everybody Loves Me When I’m Dead premieres on Oct 14 on Netflix.