By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Starring: Banlop Lomnoi | Jarinpattra Rueangram | Jenjira Pongpas | PetcharatChaiburi
Original language title: Rak ti Khon Kaen
Country: france, germany, malaysia, mexico, norway, south_korea, thailand, united_kingdom, united_states
Year: 2016
Running time: 122
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2818654/reference
Thom says: “I’ve been quite a fan of Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul for some 15 years now since and his brilliant return to form here is as exciting as films get if your aura takes a cerebral nature. He’s been consistently regarded as one of the world’s greatest living directors and his surfeit of awards he’s received speaks for itself. He won the Best Film award from the 2015 Asian Pacific Screen Awards/2015 Sitges/Catalonian International Film Festival for this film; 2002 Best Director at Buenos Aires International/2002 Tokyo FILMeX Grand Prize for BLISSFULLY YOURS; 2010 Cannes Palme d’Or/2011 RiverRun International Film Festival Best Director/2010 Sitges/Catalonian International Film Festival Best Film for UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES; 2004 Cannes Jury Prize/2005 Singapore International Film Festival Special Jury Prize Asian Feature Film/2004 Sao Paolo International Film Festival Critics Award/2004 Tokyo FILMeX Grand Prize/Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival Best Feature Film for TROPICAL MALADY; 2007 Deauville Asian Film Festival Grand Prix for SYNDROMES & A CENTURY .
“I was slightly let down by his 2012 offering at TIFF, MEKONG HOTEL, which seemed like a holding pattern film but in this latest offering he’s returned to his very identifiable pattern of mixing the ordinary with the spiritual, raising his intentions into a world of his own rare creation. In this film a clubfoot housewife, Jenjira, begins a job at a temporary clinic housing soldiers that all have a form of narcolepsy, established in an abandoned school that has been built over a graveyard. Jenjira takes care of Itt, a strikingly handsome soldier who has no visitors, & she befriends a local psychic medium who uses her considerable talents to help visitors communicate with the comatose soldiers. Mythology, history, fantasist themes, time, dreams, & even shape-shifting are seamlessly mixed together as the various genres blur and enchant. Weerasethakul never resorts to CGI and his naturalism only works to add to our appreciation of his work His films are not to be understood but to be thoroughly amazed at. He also has the amazing quality of using his actors as if they are non-professional. 5 cats”
Lorraine says: “I saw CEMETERY OF SPLENDOR at the Nashville Film Festival.
“Years ago I saw THE LEGEND OF PRINCESS SURIYOTHAI (Five cats) at Sundance so was excited to see a Thai film in Nashville.
“The gentleman introducing the film said the film is banned in Thailand — he said because it speaks about a past that Thailand doesn’t want to acknowledge and certainly is not banned because of a dick joke.
“Never mind the unfunny dick joke — there is a scene in which a man poops in the woods. A long scene. Backside and extended pooping.
“I thought, ‘Why would you warn an audience about a dick joke but not about a man pooping????’
“I think the idea of the film is beautiful. The performances are strong. There are some fabulous visual moments. I’m not a fan of
the pace, which feels slower than slow.
“I can’t find a story reason strong enough to justify the pooping scene. And with someone loving this film and saying it is amazing, I feel like someone needs to say HEY, if you want to see a guy poop in the woods — this is the film! 2 cats and a bag of kitty litter”
Chris says: “I mentioned this one (from the director of UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES) the last time we did this, but want to mention it again. No movie I’ve seen in the past few years has remained in my thoughts as long as this one has. It’s now available to stream on Netflix; just don’t try watching it when you’re half-asleep, for it takes its time in getting to where it eventually goes.”