The latest by acclaimed director Nonzee Nimibutr, Distortion opens with lively music and a murder scene wherein the fluid movement of a hammer rains blows down on what appears to be a hip, splashing dark red blood all over. Following this ironically sprightly murder scene, a psychological thriller develops around psychologist Kuen. Kuen is trying to help Kwang, a female student suffering abuse at the hands of her father, who also murdered her mother when she was a child. Kwang doesn’t get any better, and instead Kuen begins suffering delusions and hallucinations. When his childhood friend shows up, Kuen realizes that he was trying to heal himself of his own trauma by helping Kwang. While overlapping one trauma on another and having the original trauma come back around in a different form, this circular structure exposes Nimibutr’s nimble writing and directing, and his ability to be playful. The reversal towards the end of the film is a pleasant surprise that maintains, and adds to, the tension that has been building all the way through. (PARK Jinhee)