한

Screen 1                                                    

Pom Bunsermvicha

레몬그라스 소녀 Lemongrass Girl | 2021 | 17’34”
Courtesy the Artist

Synopsis
Lemongrass Girl explores the complex process through which myths are constructed, through a fictional reenactment of an old superstition set on a film set. The actors and crew play themselves, performing their own realities while simultaneously mimicking the distinctive characteristics of Thai film production culture. Becoming a “lemongrass girl” on set signifies being placed in a position devoid of agency and authority, regardless of the weather, and becoming the target of repeated ridicule and casual humiliation. The film juxtaposes the fictional narrative of the lemongrass girl with a documentary layer that records the making of Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Come Here. However, as the film unfolds, the two narratives gradually diverge, and the process of filmmaking comes to replace the formation of myth. In the end, the lemongrass girl disappears from the screen, remaining only in the words of the cast and crew. Regardless of belief in the superstition or the question of her existence, the filming continues. Lemongrass Girl addresses a condition in which an individual loses control over their own narrative. It reveals how harassment and subjugation are embedded in the most everyday layers of Thai society, and how such structures can push women toward self-exclusion and self-erasure. At the same time, within a culture where the concept of virginity is constantly put to the test, truth becomes subjective, and the film exposes a point at which narratives—including that of the lemongrass girl—become indistinguishable from reality.


About the artist
Pom Bunsermvicha is an independent filmmaker from Bangkok, Thailand, who critically explores the intersections of gender, power structures, culture, and tradition by blending documentary and fiction. Their work challenges the norms and systems that seek to control and define both individual and collective bodies. Through their films, they propose more layered and fluid ways of thinking about interconnectedness and envision new possibilities for collective futures. Somboonvicha’s films have been screened at numerous film festivals across Southeast Asia and internationally, including the Locarno Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam, MoMA Documentary Fortnight, Montreal Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, BFI London Film Festival, Hamburg International Short Film Festival, Stockholm International Film Festival, Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, IndieLisboa International Film Festival, Singapore International Film Festival, and SeaShorts Film Festival.