Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
By thisguyoverhere | June 25, 2010
Cast: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee
Directed by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Written by: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Genre: Fantasy, Drama
Deep within the jungles of southern Thailand, Boonmee has returned to his farm home and has surrounded himself with loved ones. He is dying of liver cancer, and has chosen to reconnect with his roots before departing from this world. But his sister and caretaker aren’t the only ones who appear at his side. He is also visited by the ghost of his wife, and a strange furry beast with glowing red eyes that claims to be his long lost son. Spirits can sense approaching death, and apparently come out of the woodwork (or in the case, trees) to surround the ailing soul.
The film opens with a buffalo breaking away from a rope that binds it to a tree. As it wanders away from its owners, it finds its way into the green wilderness. After a few roaming moments, it is revealed that the buffalo is being watched by a ominous dark creature with glowing red eyes, (the same type of being that claims to be Boonmee’s son later in the film). About halfway through the film, we’re thrown into an unknown time in which a disfigured princess peers into a pond and beckons the service of a mystical catfish. She offers the catfish all of her jewels to make her beautiful, and as she enters the water the fish proceeds to perform an explicit sexual act on her.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s (”Joe” for short) spiritual film is as enigmatic as it is modest. Part of what’s referred to as “slow cinema” – long takes, minimal editing, minimalist stories – Joe seems to set out to create a mystifying tale void of any particular sect of beliefs. While it is a film filled to the brim with seemingly meaningful imagery, it may be Joe’s intention to defy these expectations – or perhaps it is just his sense of humor.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) | Cast
By creating a scenario where it appears that symbolism is everywhere, but symbolizes nothing, he has successfully created a film where symbolism is everything. By removing specific implications of the author of the film, the audience is freed to infer what they wish. This might be a little overwhelming for certain moviegoers who are trained to decipher what a director is attempting to communicate. Instead, we are forced to look inward and decipher what it is that we are bringing to the film. Is the buffalo one of Boonmee’s past lives? Is he the catfish? The princess? We can speculate as much as we want, but there are no definitive answers to be found. The result that this film has is something that should be impossible: it is an ever changing, almost living and breathing film with a mind of its own. It is a film that when revisited at different periods in one’s life will appear to be entirely different.
It is very rare for a film to challenge the conventions of the viewing experience in such a impacting way without flaunting its intentions. But of course, the idea of the film existing as a vessel is also mere speculation. It is entirely possible that Weerasethakul created a fantastical film with no underlying themes. And that is what makes Uncle Boonmee such a provocative film.
Thailand. 114 minutes. Not Rated.
