Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) Loong Boonmee raleuk chat (original title): On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives. (6.8)
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Writer: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Stars: Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas and Sakda Kaewbuadee
Language: Thai (w/ English subtitles)
The first several scenes and sequences of the movie set the theme and the pace for me. I knew right away that this is a deliberately slow paced movie with minimal dialog. This is not one with an ordinary flow. I think, the deleted scenes and the interview with the director that's included in the DVD cast a lot of insight. The director admits that this is a very experimental movie with a lot of things from his own perspective. (Apparently, this is also a part of an art project involving many different media.) A lot of sequences are not linear, even some that may seem that way. I like it a lot for yet another reason that no one else may be able relate to; that is that the scenes and the whole theme are very nostalgic to me evoking many memories of growing up in Sri Lanka. I didn't realize that rural Thailand looks a lot like SL. And, of course, both societies have the same Buddhism underpinning wide acceptance of reincarnation and spirit worlds. Surreal, yet so familiar. My Rating: 7.5
