After Sundown (2023 film)
A 2023 Thai horror romance film about fate and a haunting.
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After Sundown (Thai: ดับแสงรวี, RTGS: Dap Saengrawi; lit. 'put off the sunlight') is a 2023 Thai horror romance film directed by Bhandit Thongdee. It stars Pruk Panich (Zee) and Chawarin Perdpiriyawong (NuNew) and is based on a novel of the same name by CEO.
Plot
The story is set in 1961 Thailand. A 21-year-old named Saengrawi is sent to live at the Sitthikornkan estate in Phra Nakhon.
The family's young master, Phraphloeng, has been living abroad but returns home after a sage warns that he must find his soulmate before turning twenty-five or face danger. As a result, Phraphloeng and Saengrawi are persuaded to bind their destinies together. Meanwhile, Saengrawi is haunted by a ghost.
The cast includes Pruk Panich as Phraphloeng Sitthikornkan, with Suriyawit Thanomchaisanit playing the character as a child. Chawarin Perdpiriyawong plays Saengrawi Raemsawang, with Sasit Chatpiroonpun as the younger version. Other cast members include Krittanai Asanprakit as Kraiphop, Napatsakorn Pingmuang as Phutson, Anyarin Terathananpat as Kannika, Jirawat Vachirasarunpatra as Luang Lung Janthakorn (with Rueangrit Siriphanit as young Janthakorn), Surasak Chaiyaat as Pharit Sitthikornkan (Phraphloeng's grandfather, with Napat Injaieua as young Pharit), Adisorn Athagrisna as Phachara (Phraphloeng's father), Meenay Jutai as Pimphira (Phraphloeng's mother), Pernnueng Wongphudon as sage Lee, and Parinya Angsanan as Danai.
Production and release
Production was announced on March 17, 2023, with Panich and Perdpiriyawong starring in their first film together and third collaboration after the TV series Cutie Pie and Cutie Pie 2 You. Filming began after a blessing ceremony on March 30, 2023. The first teaser video and poster came out on May 28, 2023, followed by the official trailer on June 15. The movie premiered at Infinity City Hall in Siam Paragon on July 18, 2023, and was released nationwide in Major Cineplex theaters on July 20.
It also screened in Paris on September 3 during a fan meeting. On January 11, 2024, it became available on Netflix Thailand, and in Japan it aired on Nippon TV Plus on January 19. It was shown at the Thailand International LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival (TILFF) on September 8, 2024.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack includes a first song titled "Destiny" (แสงรวี), released on June 23, 2023, and performed by Panich and Perdpiriyawong.
Narrative Framework & Genre Blend
After Sundown weaves together the horror and romance genres within a period setting in 1961 Thailand. The story follows twenty-one-year-old Saengrawi, who is sent to reside at the Sitthikornkan estate in Phra Nakhon. The household's young master, Phraphloeng, has been living abroad but is called home after a sage foretells that he faces grave danger if he fails to find his soulmate before his twenty-fifth birthday. Under family pressure, the two are persuaded to bind their fates together in an arranged union.
Complicating this romantic arrangement, Saengrawi becomes the target of a ghostly presence that haunts her days. The film, directed by Bhandit Thongdee, draws its narrative from a novel of the same name written by CEO. Running 106 minutes, the picture balances supernatural dread with the slow-burn tension of two young people thrust into a relationship they never chose, creating a distinctly Thai flavor of gothic romance.
Production Timeline & Global Release
The journey from announcement to worldwide availability spanned nearly ten months. The project was officially unveiled on March 17, 2023, confirming Pruk Panich and Chawarin Perdpiriyawong as the dual leads. A traditional blessing ceremony marked the start of principal photography on March 30. Marketing picked up pace with the first teaser and poster dropping on May 28, followed by the full trailer on June 15.
The film had its premiere screening at Infinity City Hall inside Siam Paragon on July 18, 2023, before hitting Major Cineplex screens nationwide two days later. Its reach extended well beyond Thailand: a dedicated fan screening took place in Paris on September 3, a broadcast on Nippon TV Plus in Japan aired on January 19, 2024, and the title became available on Netflix Thailand on January 11, 2024. The picture also found a place at the Thailand International LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival on September 8, 2024, underscoring its cultural resonance within the community it serves.
Critical Response & Box Office
Reviews of After Sundown revealed a divided critical landscape. Sanook.com awarded the film 8.5 out of 10, commending director Bhandit Thongdee for delivering strong imagery, scene construction, and acting across the full runtime. The publication also noted that the two soundtrack tracks helped elevate the overall performance and guided the audience through the narrative. In contrast, Thanaphat Khamluekian of The Standard found the arranged-marriage premise to carry a familiar Thai-drama sensibility, arguing that the lack of genuine conflict and reliance on genre clichés diminished the story's appeal.
He felt the script's disconnected scenes prevented the two leads from fully showcasing their range, though he did single out the soundtrack as beautiful and touching. Commercially, the film opened at fourth place at the Thai box office, grossing between 4.25 and 6.9 million baht over its first weekend. In Taiwan, it ranked as the sixth most popular Thai release of 2023, earning the equivalent of 597,000 baht. The musical score included "Destiny," performed by the two leads, released in June 2023, and "Moon" by Gun Napat, which followed in August.
More in Thai horror films
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: After Sundown (2023 film) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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