| Macabre Case of Prom Pi Ram | |
| Native Name: | |
| Director: | Manop Udomdej |
| Producer: | Chatrichalerm Yukol |
| Cinematography: | Anupap Buachand |
| Editing: | Patamanadda Yukol |
| Music: | Richard Harvey |
| Studio: | Prommitr International Production |
| Distributor: | Sahamongkol Film International |
| Runtime: | 117 minutes |
| Country: | Thailand |
| Language: | Thai |
Macabre Case of Prom Pi Ram (Thai: คืนบาป พรหมพิราม or Keunbab Prompiram) is a 2003 Thai murder investigation crime film directed and written by Manop Udomdej. Its storyline is based on the real-life rape and murder of 20-year-old anonymous young woman.
Film begins with rookie cop Pol.Sub.Lt. Saksit writing a memo about events of the year before, when he was first stationed at the hick town of Prom Pi Ram. Intro hints at some disturbance during a celebration in honor of a local government official, and next morning the bloodied, violated body of an unknown girl is found beside a railroad track. Only clue to her identity is a brown paper bag from a store in another town.
Saksit and his scrupulously honest supervisor, Pol.Lt.Col. Phitak Suprapdit identify the victim as Samnian, an abandoned wife who decided to catch a train upcountry to be reunited with her husband in the northern town of Uttaradit. Mid-trip, she was kicked off the train for not having a ticket and left stranded at Prom Pi Ram train station.
The investigation is presented as a series of police interviews, with the first of many flashbacks provided by the station master who took pity on her. Subsequently, Samnian was spotted by some local hoodlums, among whom was a son of henchman of the influential local member of parliament. In the interviews, Phitak bluffs each suspect and allows them to incriminate each other, until the grisly truth is revealed and the guilty party tracked down.
The film's score soundtracks were composed and produced by Richard Harvey.
Macabre Case of Prom Pi Ram is a dramatization on a true crime that took place in a rural hamlet known as Prom Pi Ram (alternatively spelled Prompiram or Phrom Phiram — northwest part of Phitsanulok province in upper central Thailand) between July and August 1977, when the unidentified young woman's corpse is found abnormally by the railroad tracks. It was a very scandalous case when it was discovered that it was true. The victim was a mentally ill woman who was raped by as many as 30 men in Prom Pi Ram and strangled her to death, then put her body on the track for the train to crush to disguise the case.
Later, the story of this case was inspired to become Prom Pi Lab (พรหมพิลาป; "the lamenting Phra Phrom" — while the real name of Prom Pi Ram mean "the idyllic town of Phra Phrom"), a novel by an experienced author and journalist Santi Svetavimala (under the pen name Natee Sitandon).
The film was shot mainly on location in Uthai Thani without filming in Phitsanulok, the actual crime scene to avoid conflicts.
When it will be released there has been some controversy. The Prom Pi Ram residents protested the use of the film's title Khonbab Prompiram (คนบาป พรหมพิราม; "the sin people of Prom Pi Ram"), owing they claimed that it would make society look at the Prom Pi Ram people as a bad person. Finally there was a mediation where the filmmaker changed the title to Keunbab Prompiram (คืนบาป พรหมพิราม; "the night of sins in Prom Pi Ram").[1] [2] [3]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13th Thailand National Film Association Awards[4] | Best Picture | Macabre Case of Prom Pi Ram | |
| Best Director | Manop Udomdej | ||
| Best Actress | Pimpan Chalaikupp | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Sompob Benjathikul | ||
| Best Screenplay | Manop Udomdej | ||
| Best Editing | Patamanadda Yukol | ||
| Best Original Score | Richard Harvey | ||
| Best Sound Editing and Mixing | Chiyachet Sethi and Preethep Boondej | ||
| Best Costume Design | Sukanya Maruangpradit | ||
| 12th Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards | Best Film | Macabre Case of Prom Pi Ram | |
| Best Director | Manop Udomdej | ||
| Best Actor | Sompob Benjathikul | ||
| Best Actress | Pimpan Chalaikupp | ||
| Best Screenplay | Manop Udomdej | ||
| Best Cinematography | Anupap Buachand | ||
| Best Editing | Patamanadda Yukol | ||
| Best Original Score | Richard Harvey |