Set in a hotel that is based alongside the Mekong River in Thailand, the film revolves around a filmmaker trying to create a vampire movie while the small group of people at the hotel deal with possibly possessed by ghosts who would eat human internal organs. It is a film that doesn’t have much of a plot nor a strong premise yet it does play into people just trying to figure out what to do at this hotel as they look at their surroundings including the river itself. At the same time, there’s a mother/daughter duo who are both dealing the presence of a ghost as they would sometimes come out of this possession wondering what is happening as it blurs the line between reality and fiction. Notably as Apichatpong Weerasethakul doesn’t aim for something structured in favor of improvisation that allows a looseness into the story.
Weerasethakul’s direction is entrancing as it is shot on an actual hotel set alongside the Mekong River as both the hotel and the river itself are major characters in the film. While the film doesn’t have any close-ups, Weerasethakul’s usage of wide and medium static shots does maintain a sense of visual intrigue while there are moments where the fourth wall is broken where Weerasethakul talks to the film’s composer Chai Bhatana to perform music on an acoustic guitar as it would accompany the film throughout while Bhatana would only appear onscreen a few times. Serving as both the film’s cinematographer and editor, Weerasethakul would never move the camera throughout the film’s 58-minute running time as it would also include a lot of long shots where the camera gazes at the actors looking at or reacting to something that is happening.
Especially in scenes where someone would be eating internal organs and then wake up wondering what had just happened. Weerasethakul would emphasis on natural lighting as much of the film is shot in the day while he allows shows to gaze for a few minutes before emphasizing on straightforward cutting to move to the next shot. Especially as the film’s final shot is gazed upon the river as it showcases a world that is uninterrupted despite changing times and the specter of death. Overall, Weerasethakul creates a riveting and evocative film about a filmmaker trying to make a vampire movie on a hotel set alongside the Mekong River.
Sound mixer Richard Hocks does brilliant work with the sound in capturing many of the natural elements on location as well as the usage of voice effects for the scenes involving the ghosts. Music by Chai Bhatana is incredible for its plaintive acoustic guitar score that is filled with unique themes and melodies that help play into the drama. The film’s wonderful ensemble cast features notable small roles from Bhatana as the composer who plays on location as well as Apichatpong Weerasethakul as the director trying to make this vampire movie on a hotel. Sakda Kaewbuadee is excellent as an actor who is trying to understand what they’re planning to do while he would have a moment where he gets possessed. Jenjira Pongpas and Maiyatan Techaparn are incredible in their respective roles as the mother and daughter duo who deal with ghosts as well as other things as well as their surroundings with the former troubled by ghosts while the latter is pondering its existence.
Mekong Hotel is a sensational film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. While it doesn’t have much of a plot, the film does manage to have gorgeous visuals as well as a premise that blurs the line of fiction and reality. Notably as it is set on real locations while playing into the idea of ghosts and death. In the end, Mekong Hotel is an incredible film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Films: Mysterious Object at Noon - (Blissfully Yours) – (The Adventure of Iron Pussy) – (Tropical Malady) – (Syndromes and a Century) – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - (Cemetery of Splendor) – (Ten Years Thailand) – (Memoria) – (The Year of the Everlasting Storm-Night Colonies)
© thevoid99 2023
Directed, shot, and co-edited by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Mysterious Object at Noon is an experimental documentary film about a group of people being interviewed as part of a party game with the usage of the exquisite corpse concept with individuals taking part of the game. It’s a documentary film that explore what people can come up with this game as the story becomes more surreal as it goes on as does the players involved in the story as they try to act it out. The result is a mesmerizing and evocative film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The film that was shot in black-and-white and in the span of nearly 2 years in 35mm and 16mm film stock play into a director asking ordinary people in Thailand a story involving a crippled young boy, his teacher, and a mysterious object that came out of the teacher in the form of another boy. All played through the party game concept of the exquisite corpse, various people would add ideas to the story as it gets weirder and more surreal as it goes on not just blurring the ideas of reality and fiction but also the people involved acting out in the story. Told in a documentary style, Apichatpong Weerasethakul creates a film that does blur the idea of what is fiction and what is reality while allowing those he encounter to bring ideas to the story where the mysterious object would become the teacher and then go on a series of adventures where things get weirder.
With the aid of co-cinematographers Prasong Klimborron and Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Weerasethakul would shoot everything in black-and-white as there’s an element of grain in the photography while Weerasethakul doesn’t dwell too much into shooting everything in hand-held cameras where he would go for a dolly tracking shot or to create a simple composition. Weerasethakul and co-editor Mingmongkol Sonakul would create sequences that blur the idea of reality and fantasy such as a sequence where a traditional Thai dance troupe is telling the story that is intercut with actors playing out the role in another scene as it add to the film’s offbeat narrative. The sound work of Sirote Tulsook Paisit is superb in gathering the audio from the various people Weerasethakul would meet and encounter though Weerasethakul doesn’t put himself on camera. It all play into the art of storytelling though Weerasethakul’s method can be confusing at times in what is going on. Still, Weerasethakul does maintain a tone that is simple as well as showcase what ordinary people can bring to a strange story based on a concept.
Mysterious Object at Noon is an incredible film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It’s a strange yet fascinating hybrid of documentary and fiction that is told in a simplistic yet offbeat style that explores the art of storytelling. It is also a film that is daring in its approach to being experimental as well as see how a story can be created out of a few ideas. In the end, Mysterious Object at Noon is a sensational film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Films: (Blissfully Yours) – (The Adventure of Iron Pussy) – (Tropical Malady) – (Syndromes and a Century) – Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - Mekong Hotel – (Cemetery of Splendour) – (Ten Years Thailand) – (Memoria) - (The Year of the Everlasting Storm-Night Colonies)
© thevoid99 2019
(Winner of the Palme D’or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival)
Written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is the story about a man recalling his past in the final days of his life as he even sees though who had already departed. Inspired by the book A Man Who Can Recall His Past Lives from the monk Prha Sripariyattiweti, the film is about a man surrounded by family as he looks back while facing the idea of life after death. Starring Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, and Sakda Kaewbuadee. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is an enriching yet fascinating film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The film revolves around the last few days of a man who is visited by his sister-in-law and his nephew as they later receive a visit from the man’s dead wife and his son who had disappeared some years ago. In the course of the film, the family surround themselves with this man who knows he’s going to die as he recalls about his past in different parts of his life not really sure where he’s going next. Even as he is spending his final days in the Thailand countryside with a Laotian farmer as his very spiritual family also have to deal with questions over the disappearance of the man’s son where the mystery is solved. While the film’s screenplay doesn’t have much of a plot, it does play into the man known as Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) thinking about his life while coming to terms with what he’s lost as well as what he’s going to leave behind to those who are close to him. Notably as he thinks about the events in his life that made an impact as he’s set to go into the afterlife.
The direction of Apichatpong Weerasethakul is quite simplistic in some of the imagery he conveys that recalls some of the minimalist visual style of the legendary Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. The only major difference is that Weerasethakul shoots his scenes on a standing tripod with very little movements except in a few scenes where some things are moving including a shot in a small lake. Still, the compositions that Weerasethakul creates that are filled with gorgeous images of the northern Thailand countryside with its jungles, mountains, and caves. Even scenes at Boonmee’s home are just filled with beauty where the camera just stay stills and let things play out where there are some moments that do play into this world of death with the appearances of Boonmee’s late wife Huay (Natthakarn Aphaiwong) and his late son Boonsong (Jeerasak Kulhong).
There aren’t any flashback scenes as far as how they’re told conventionally though there is a sequence where Boonsong reveals what happened to him and why he looks the way he is after his disappearance. It has this air of mystery but also something that is entrancing where it would play into Boonmee’s decision as it’s third act becomes this very evocative moment where he and his family trek through the caves. It plays into Boonmee’s decision about what he’s going to do in his final moments where it’s aftermath has his family returning to Bangkok where things are different but still has this air of spirituality. Overall, Weerasethakul creates a mesmerizing yet powerful film about life and death.
Cinematographer Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, with additional contributions from Yukontorn Mingmongkon and Charin Pengpanich, does amazing work with the film‘s very colorful yet naturalistic photography that is shot in 16mm film where many of its daytime scenes are exquisite while the nighttime scenes are more stylized to convey that sense of death. Editor Lee Chatametikool does excellent work with the editing as it‘s low-key except in a few rhythmic cuts to play out the drama. Production designer Akekarat Homlaor does nice work with the look of Boonmee’s home that is quite simple to play out the world he lives in
Costume designers Chatchai Chaiyon and Buangoen Ngamcharoenputtasri do terrific work with the costumes as most of it is casual with the exception of the princess one of Boonmee‘s stories about his past. Sound designers Akritchalerm Kalayanamirt and Koichi Shimizu do fantastic work with the sound to capture the essence of the countryside locations with its minimal approach to sound while capturing whatever music that is played in the background including a rock song at the end of the film.
The casting by Sakda Kaewbuadee and Panjaj Sirisuwan is wonderful as it features some noteworthy small roles from Wallapa Mongkolprasert as the princess and Sumit Suebsee as the soldier where they both appear in a story about one of Boonmee’s past lives while Kanokporn Thongaram is very good as Jen’s niece and Samud Kugasang is excellent as Boonmee’s Laotian farmer friend Jai. Natthakarn Aphaiwong is terrific as Boonmee’s late wife who appears to the family as a ghost while Jeerasak Kulhong is superb as Boonmee’s late song Boonsong who also makes an appearance revealing what happened to him when he disappeared.
Sakda Kaewbuadee is amazing as Boonmee’s monk nephew Thong who aids his uncle in his final moments while Jenjira Pongpas is brilliant as Boonmee’s sister-in-law Jen who is trying to understand the mysteries around them while getting to know the man who had married her sister. Finally, there’s Thanapat Saisaymar in a remarkable performance as Uncle Boonmee as a dying man trying to spend his last moments being alive whether it’s farming or recalling about his past as he is the heart and soul of the film.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is a magnificent film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film is an entrancing yet thoughtful film about life and death as well as what might lurk ahead in the afterlife. It’s also a very ravishing film that plays into the idea of spirituality and how it surrounds humanity. In the end, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is a phenomenal film from Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
Apichatpong Weerasethakul Films: Mysterious Object at Noon - (Blissfully Yours) - (The Adventure of Iron Pussy) - (Tropical Malady) - (Syndromes and a Century) - Mekong Hotel - (Cemetary of Splendour) - (Ten Years Thailand) - (Memoria) - (The Year of the Everlasting Storm-Night Colonies)
© thevoid99 2013
