How a vacuum cleaner designed by a Singaporean found its way to an award-winning Thai film and on the Cannes red carpet

Despite the recent Cannes Film Festival being an assemblage of some of the biggest stars in the world, it was a vacuum cleaner that sucked up the attention at the red carpet – and a major prize to boot.

But this is no ordinary household appliance.

Designed by award-winning product designer Sim Hao Jie, the red-and-white vacuum cleaner is one of the main stars of the Thai film A Useful Ghost, which won the Grand Prize at the Critics' Week section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival. 

The debut feature of director Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, A Useful Ghost stars Davika Hoorne and Witsarut Himmarat, and tells the story of a widower who discovers that the spirit of his deceased wife has possessed a vacuum cleaner.

Sim is one of the Singaporean creatives who worked on the film, which is also co-produced by the Singapore-based media company Momo Film Co.

A recipient of numerous industry accolades, Sim Hao Jie is a staunch advocate of social design. In 2019, his team won the National Council of Social Services’ Design Challenge with their idea of a platform that allowed senior citizens to actively contribute to society. 

In 2023, he was one of the recipients of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at his alma mater: The National University of Singapore (NUS).

So how did someone who, in his own words, uses design “to address real-world social issues” end up working in a film about a vacuum cleaner that exorcises vengeful spirits?

Well, we have Momo Film Co founder Tan Si En to thank for that.

“I knew Si En, and she introduced me to the team. Because of my background in designing consumer appliances, they brought me on board to develop the vacuum cleaner,” said Sim.

But don’t let the synopsis of A Useful Ghost fool you.

According to Sim, it’s not “a typical film”.

“The story itself drew me in,” said Sim of his reason for joining the project.

“The plot was whimsical and layered with meaning. Unlike commercial projects that often focus on function and usability, this one gave me space to explore form as a way to tell a story.”

Sim added that after he spoke with the director and producers, he felt that there was “real room to play and express the character’s narrative through design”.

“I had a gut feeling it would be a fun and meaningful project.”

Designing the vacuum cleaner took about five months and Sim was given “full creative freedom” in the initial exploration.

“Director Ratchapoom had a clear vision and shared visual references that helped guide the direction,” shared Sim. “We refined the design together as a team.”

Sim wanted the vacuum cleaner to strike a balance between realism and whimsical.

“I drew inspiration from the evolution of vacuum cleaner design and design movements like the [Italian design collective] Memphis Group and Soft Electronics,” shared Sim.

“One subtle detail is its slightly forward-leaning posture, which reflects the main character’s subservient role in the story.”

For Sim, the main challenge of his task was landing on a vacuum cleaner design that “felt believable as an off-the-shelf product” while possessing the “surreal, character-driven qualities of the story”.

Nonetheless, the experience taught him how to design for cinema and making something that has “visual presence and memorability on screen”, to which he also gave props to the movie’s prototype-making team.

“Their craftsmanship made the vacuum cleaner feel like a true character on screen.”

Of course, A Useful Ghost’s Grand Prize win at Cannes made Sim’s experience even more meaningful and fulfilling.

He shared that the Cannes Film Festival marked the first time that he met the cast and crew in person. He also got to meet other collaborators like fellow Singaporean Lim Ting Li – the sound designer of A Useful Ghost – and French VFX studio Block D, which gave him a deeper appreciation of the entire filmmaking process.

His vacuum cleaner proved to be a star on the red carpet as well. Dressed in a tuxedo, it drew the attention of many of the festival’s attendees, who stopped by to take photos with it.

“It was surreal to see it receive so much attention. People described it as iconic, cute and memorable,” recalled Sim.

“It truly felt like the Useful Ghost vacuum character was with us the whole time.”

With the film’s win, Sim hopes that it opens the doors for Singapore designers in the film industry.

“There is so much potential for design from Singapore to contribute to storytelling in new ways.”