Since the beginning of the story, Ghost Lab maintained puzzlement around a weird experiment. Two doctor interns, Wee and Gla were experimenting on the existence of ghosts. The subject, in itself, emblems terror and adventure, and thus they too together did weave a bewitching story.
Directed by Paween Purijitpanya, the Thai film Ghost Lab ends in a kind of dubiety. Those who have seen the film already know that Dr. Gla shot himself, in order to enter the ghost world, and help his friend, Wee to move on with the experiment, from the spiritual end. Hence, in the muddling ghost experiment, the film leaves a few doubts that we’ll try to clarify.
What was “The Northern Light Quest?”
Gla theorized that Northern lights also referred to as polar lights or aura, are composed of souls of the dead that are trying to communicate with the living on Earth. He always wanted to visit Northern lights once in his lifetime to experience the aura for real. It is under his belief that Wee named their ghost experiment as Northern Light Quest, which was symbolically a pursuit to communicate with the ghosts.
Why did Gla kill himself?
From the beginning, Gla was much more obsessed with the experiment than Wee himself. But after the death of Wee’s mother, he didn’t have much to lose. Their experiments also came to a halt. Wee was devastated without a goal in life. Therefore he decided to end his life to explore the spiritual world as a ghost and then help his friend Gla from the other side.
But Wee wasn’t able to pull the trigger. It was Gla who finally took the gun and killed himself. Earlier, Gla was watching a television report where a climber staked his life for adventure. At the moment, Gla’s eye glitters. His expression suggested that often scientists go to extreme lengths to bring prosperity and new knowledge to the world. To bring about a change, they have to sacrifice themselves. I believe it was the news that triggered Gla’s death.
Why did Gla want Wee to stop the experiment?
Like Gla, Wee was getting extremely obsessed with the experiment. His mental instability pushed him into committing unimaginable sins. He not only hurt himself to force Gla’s ghost to communicate with him, but also harassed his mother, girlfriend, and sister. Gla couldn’t take it anymore and unleashed vengeance upon his own friend.
However, his spirit soon understood that it was Gla who invited Wee into this experiment, and thus, he needed to save his friend’s life from deteriorating further. In the spiritual world, Gla asked Wee to stop the experiment and move on with his life.
Why did Gla insist on going to the beach?
Wee saw a picture of Gla with his parents on the Ranong beach. The location was connected to Gla’s nostalgia and his mental peace. He wanted Wee to visit there once so that he can understand that after death, no such experiment or pursuit matters. What matters is peace, and in a symbolic way, he was trying to suggest the same to Wee. However, in his own pride and madness, Wee never visited the beach.
In the last sequence, Gla’s girlfriend Mai told Wee that she saw Gla on a beach with northern lights sparkling on the shores. It was a hint that Gla finally found his peace, the northern lights, and the beach.
‘Ghost Lab’ Ending Explained – Symbol to Continue the Hunt
After his conversation with Gla in the spiritual world, Wee thought that Gla wanted him to stop the experiment. But actually, he was requesting his friend to stop the madness and the obsession. As told by Mai, in her dream when she was Gla on the beach, he was holding a magazine titled “The Experiment” with Wee and Gla’s picture on the cover page. It was a hint to Wee to continue his experiment with a sane mind because he still has a chance to change the world.
In the end, Wee continued with his Ghost experiment but deleted the files on “The Northern Light Quest.” He wanted a fresh start, with experience and not with guilt in it. He made a choice to let his friend’s sacrifice reside in peace. The sole warrior, however, will continue his hunt to prove the existence of ghosts.
Ghost Lab is a 2021 Drama Horror film directed by Paween Purijitpanya. It is streaming on Netflix.
