Sud pralad (2004)

Director:

Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Writer:

Apichatpong Weerasethakul (writer)

Release Date:

24 November 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

Plot:

A gay-themed romance between a soldier (Lomnoi) and a country boy Tong, wrapped around a Thai folk legend involving a shaman with shapeshifting abilities.

Plot Keywords:

Shapeshifting | Jungle | Movie Theater | Gay Soldier | Tiger

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Banlop Lomnoi	...	Keng
Sakda Kaewbuadee	...	Tong
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Huai Dessom
Sirivech Jareonchon
Udom Promma

Also Known As:

Tropical Malady (International: English title)
Tropical Malady - Liebe kennt nur den Moment... (Germany)

Runtime:

118 min | France:120 min | Argentina:120 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Country:

Thailand | France | Germany | Italy

Language:

Thai

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

Spain:13 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:M18 | UK:12A | USA:Not Rated

Company:

Backup Films

Trivia:

The same year that this film was chosen to compete at the Cannes, the government sent a delegation of Thai film-makers to the festival. Ironically, when the director asked to be included, officials denied him support, saying that there were no more plane tickets.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 2006 Glitter Awards (2006) (V)

Great ideas, poor(?) execution

Having had a good think about the film after seeing it this afternoon, I still can't escape the feeling that there was a really excellent film in the subject matter and narrative elements, but that the director just hadn't quite found a way to get that film to the screen. Instead, he found a film that ultimately taxes most viewer's patience. There were some really lovely elements, I agree, but there is something about the editing that was just this side of over indulgent (and I happen to generally like long, loving, camera shots that are meditative!). The jungle portion of the film, IMHO, suffered from a lack of visual information in most instances (and yet this is one of the strengths of some the individual jungle scenes, like those of the tree, the tiger and ghost ox, where, just because of this unrelenting sameness, stand out marvelously). It could have been half the length and by virtue of that, twice as effective. Having said as much, I look forward to seeing more by this director, he clearly has a head on his shoulders and the courage to tackle difficult (yet rewarding) ideas.