Beyond the sensationalism is a critique of contemporary Thai culture, humorously relayed in ever darkening shades of black. Chit obsession with meeting all thirteen challenges address the question of financial neediness, when having a lot is still never enough. Quite pointedly is the jab at the Thai attitude towards family when Chit tries desperately to contact the oblivious family of a deceased man. Flashback show how many of the challenges reflect on incidences in Chit's past. The film takes place during one day, and the progression into darkness serves as a metaphor for Chit's own journey into childhood traumas.

Chit's descent into a hell more of less of his own making has some unexpected twists and turns. One of the funnier moments comes when Chit's nemesis at work gets accused of some of Chit's mayhem, simply because he fits the general description of a Thai office worker. It's the kind of overworked cliche that gets new life in the way an ever-increasing crowd gets hysterical as the accused becomes more beleaguered. The Weinsteins acquired 13 Beloved for remake rights, and I would have to imagine that such a film would lose a lot in the process. While the film can be appreciated to a good extent by those who may know nothing about Thailand, there are also parts of the film which have an added resonance to those with some familiarity with the country and its people. Considering also what I have been reading about concerning the alteration or censorship of films in Thailand in these past few months, 13 Beloved may also represent the brief period of the past few years, when creative expression flowered in Thai cinema.