Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

2010 sleeper hit (sleepy, I mean...not sleeper)

Rating: 16/20

Plot: A guy dies. Oh, but before he does, he recalls his past lives. Not the way the guy in Mr. Nobody did though. Boonmee recalls his past lives differently.

Two things you need to know before you read what I think about this movie:

1) I didn't understand the movie. I suspect that the reason is because it has a lot to do with the culture and history of Thailand.

2) It would more than likely--if I made a list--be one of the top-five most boring movies I've ever seen.

Having said that and that, this is a movie I enjoyed. Trust me, Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a name to remember. Oh, you can't remember that? Neither can I. I kind of like typing it though. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. I nearly named my firstborn Apichatpong which would have made it easier for me to remember.

Anyway, I know I've said this before and will more than likely say it again, but a lot of my favorite movies are ones that take the place of dreams that I never remember. For whatever reason, I don't remember any of my dreams--maybe two a year if I'm lucky. When movie makers use the medium to put dreams on the screen, I'm appreciative. This movie is dreamlike, but it's the dream of a somnambulist. A lot of the movie is naturalistic. Characters have mundane conversations or sometimes just sit there and exist with each other. There are numerous shots of trips through Thai jungles, rests by waterfalls, and spelunking adventures. Characters watch television or receive medical treatment. An old man talks about death although, interestingly, his death doesn't take place on screen. There's some kind of beautiful black ox. And then, there's the unexpected, though it sneaks up on you so quietly that it also seems naturalistic. There's stalking monkey ghosts with red eyes that pierce through mist and layers of dusk. There's ghost visitation and ghost snuggling. And there's a scene featuring catfish cunnilingus. At least I think that's what was going on. The character on the receiving end didn't fit with the rest of the narrative, so you can only assume that either she or it was one of Uncle Boonmee's past lives. I will say this about that title: I didn't see a lot of past lives here. Maybe it's a case where Uncle Boonmee can recall his past lives but chooses not to? Oh, and then there's a completely bewildering final scene, the kind of thing that you barely notice because you're a little bored and weren't paying attention as well as you should have been. I also want to mention that there's a very dry humor beneath all this, too. My favorite bit was a question directed toward a monkey ghost about why he'd grown his hair so long. Trust me--it's hilarious in context.

This one deals with reincarnation, the Buddhist kind; transformation; life, death, and all the stuff that comes in between; bees, much to Nicolas Cage's chagrin; monkey ghost men; losses and the stoicism in dealing with losses; and how oppressive crickets can be in a movie without a score. It's a very human film, but it's dealing with the part of being human that is abstract and quiet. Its meanings aren't easy to hold onto at all, and it's likely open to multiple interpretations, but I suspect a guy with a name like Apichatpong Weerasethakul would be ok with that. There's definitely plenty of room within all these Jarmusch-esque still shots for a person to insert his or her own experiences into the thing. It's slow, but it's beautiful. I think this is one that will stick with me, but unlike the last difficult movie I watched--Mr. Nobody--I doubt if subsequent viewings would even uncover anything new.

Do not watch this when you're sleepy. It's boring. Apichatpong Weerasethakul made a boring movie.