This film came out at a time when there was much public controversy in Thailand over the nature of the fireballs. It was in the papers for several years, with arguments spanning the range of beliefs. This is a film for anyone who wants to come to a better understanding of the facets of Thailand and Laos. It places the views of shamanism, Buddhism, and modern rationality gracefully together in a manner that informs while it entertains.

The film work is interesting, moving between set piece work to "live" shooting, keeping elements of documentary interspersed with a human storyline, in keeping with the ongoing controversy at the time.

The characters are well developed, if a bit stock - the returning native, the girl left behind, the big city doctor come to the countryside - but this doesn't distract. Rather, it provides common reference points for we foreigners to hold onto. (And there's an extremely good line from the elder monk, but I won't give that away).

The overall effect is much one of engagement, as in Local Hero or other such films that take you somewhere "different". And Nong Kai is "different".