Review of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) by Luck D K — 06 Dec 2010

This is a bit of a marmite film, yet for some reason I actually neither love or hate marmite, I don't mind it, so I didn't mind this.

The visuals are great, the cultural touches are very carefully realised and there are some nice ideas in here, but it is very, very slow so you have to be in the mood for a meditative film and to be honest I wasn't. Nothing much happens here, and there are moments where it almost slows to Tarkovsky pace. Now personally I realise this is art and it's like watching a slow moving set of photos or paintings moving past the screen, but I don't think it's entertainment and I think that's the point where films split into two different things- art and movies; this is an accute and atmosoheric observation of Thai life, and though that's great, going to Thailand is more so, so I'm only giving it 3 stars as a movie- there's very little entertainment here.

What was interesting was the attitude to ghosts, which I think is very Thai and very accurate. The scene where the ghost and money creature turn up and people aren't that surprised is in keeping with that matter-of-fact acceptance of sprits and it was interesting to see that in film, other than in Thai horror films, which tend to be ridiculous- tenderness with ghosts is an aspect of this sub-culture which needed a bit of coverage. There are comic bits to this as wellm and strange stuff like fish sex, and there weren't more than one or two past lives in here so the title was a little confusing. Then the bit at the end, watching the TV... I couldn't work that one out, but there was something 'out of body' about the whole film and that atmosphere of time ticking by slowly, knowing you're close to death, accepting it and taking note of every little thing was quite pogniant.

I think after seeing the polar opposite, Machete, last week, I've balanced my soul out.