Cemetery of Splendour (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2015)

[FrauBlucher]

This looks amazing...
New US trailer

[zedz]

It is!

[lacritfan]

U.S. Playdates

[criterionsnob]

Strand releasing Cemetery of Splendour on blu-ray June 14, with Mekong Hotel as a bonus feature!

[tenia]

Strand releasing Cemetery of Splendour on blu-ray June 14, with Mekong Hotel as a bonus feature!

Marvelous.
I was regretting not buying the Belgium DVD because of my expectation to see someone releasing it on BD. It's nice to know my patience is rewarded.

[FrauBlucher]

How is the history of Strand Releasing's releases?

[swo17]

Uh, not as bad as Facets?

[FrauBlucher]

That's not exactly encouraging.

[Werewolf by Night]

In the late '90s, early '00s, their DVDs were almost uniformly awful, but the handful of BDs they've put out have been quite good. I don't know that they're necessarily reference-quality, but then they also haven't seem to have had any of the encoding issues plaguing recent Criterion releases.

I imagine their release of Uncle Boonmee is probably a strong indicator of what this release will look like.

[Raymond Marble]

I was pleased with the quality of Strand's release of Uncle Boonmee, and am very happy to hear that they'll be releasing Cemetery of Splendor in that format as well. They're one of those distributors that, more often than not, only release any given film of theirs on DVD, so this is at least something of a surprise (though I imagine Apichatpong is one of their bigger and more reliable draws, amongst filmmakers they have established a relationship with).

Meanwhile, I've seen Cemetery of Splendor three times now--twice on the big screen and once from a (legal) Vimeo streaming link provided by Strand. (The streaming link was actually the first time I viewed the film, with the theatrical screenings being the second and third.) The first two times I saw it I liked it, but viewed it as lesser Apichatpong; the sort of film that, were another filmmaker to make it, I'd think it was incredible, but coming from someone as reliable and top-tier as Joe, maybe just the slightest bit underwhelming. The third time I saw it, it really clicked for me, though, and now I'm very anxious to return to it yet again.

[rrenault]

I was pleased with the quality of Strand's release of Uncle Boonmee, and am very happy to hear that they'll be releasing Cemetery of Splendor in that format as well. They're one of those distributors that, more often than not, only release any given film of theirs on DVD, so this is at least something of a surprise (though I imagine Apichatpong is one of their bigger and more reliable draws, amongst filmmakers they have established a relationship with).

Meanwhile, I've seen Cemetery of Splendor three times now--twice on the big screen and once from a (legal) Vimeo streaming link provided by Strand. (The streaming link was actually the first time I viewed the film, with the theatrical screenings being the second and third.) The first two times I saw it I liked it, but viewed it as lesser Apichatpong; the sort of film that, were another filmmaker to make it, I'd think it was incredible, but coming from someone as reliable and top-tier as Joe, maybe just the slightest bit underwhelming. The third time I saw it, it really clicked for me, though, and now I'm very anxious to return to it yet again.

I actually think it's the strongest of the Weerasethakul films I've seen so far, since it successfully avoids a lot of the 'slow cinema' cliches that plagued films like Uncle Boonmee and Syndromes and a Century.

[feihong]

Hm. Would you say that about Tropical Malady? I thought that one was pretty fantastic. It seemed to have less of the "slow cinema" tropes, although I have to admit, I haven't watched it in a couple of years.

[DarkImbecile]

I'm going to have out myself as a philistine; I saw this yesterday at one of the local art houses, and while I certainly appreciated the framing, depth, and rich colors of the cinematography, I found myself for the first time in my adult life really struggling to stay awake in a theater (at 2 in the afternoon!), to find anything to connect with or grab onto as meaningful beyond the many museum-worthy images. I'm not opposed to "slow cinema" in principle, but I just found no ideas or foundation to justify or provide meaning to many of the sequences in Splendour. For example,

Spoiler

why did I spend two full minutes watching a non-character - who as far as I could tell never appears gain - take a shit outside in full detail? What significance did the silent musical chairs sequence impart?

I'm not claiming there aren't meaningful interpretations of these and other moments, but I'm apparently incapable of grasping them unassisted. Can anyone point me to any particularly compelling analyses or celebrations of the film that might help me gain some appreciation for it (beyond, as I've noted, the often exceptional imagery)?

This was my first Weerasethakul film, and I still want to seek out Uncle Boonmee, at least, but I can't say I am ready and willing to go further than that if this is his standard aesthetic.

[hearthesilence]

First off…

Spoiler

…it wasn't that long ago when I saw someone taking a shit in a movie for the very first time in one of Wim Wenders films. That was a shock, so seeing it here, I was merely amused thinking "I guess that's TWO films that have done that now."

Anyway, that detail aside, I actually thought this was a quietly, angry protest film, one that's all the more powerful for being made within his home country, you really have to walk a fine line without compromising the message. I have to see it again to pinpoint details with better clarity, but from start-to-finish everything seemed political if you have at least some familiarity with what's going on Thailand. Some of it's explicit ("there's no future for a soldier"), some metaphorical (the comatose soldiers being used for old wars - conflicts that really belong to generations long gone who are making the present population pay the price). The final shot is one of my favorites of the past year. So if you're not familiar with Thailand's politics at all, I guess my best suggestion would be to do at least a little research, and then re-evaluate the film with that in mind.

[zedz]

Slipping in and out of consciousness seems to me a completely appropriate response to this film, thematically and at the level of plot.

The film doesn't just deal with a mysterious sleeping sickness, but it has a consciously dream-like form in which things can exist in two contradictory states at the same time (e.g. a school is also a hospital, characters can be inhabiting two different eras simultaneously) and where regular reality is shot as if it were a dream (those light therapy totems) and vice versa

Spoiler

(a couple of goddesses casually encountered on a shopping spree.)

I think heartthesilence's political reading is absolutely on point regarding the 'sickness' infecting the soldiers. It's spelt out about as clearly as an allegory can be when we get the mystical explanation of their plight.

[Alphonse Tram]

I'm going to have out myself as a philistine; I saw this yesterday at one of the local art houses, and while I certainly appreciated the framing, depth, and rich colors of the cinematography, I found myself for the first time in my adult life really struggling to stay awake in a theater (at 2 in the afternoon!)

Fear not! At London Film Festival last year Weerasethakul introduced the film and stated 'it's okay to fall asleep watching this movie, in fact it might help'. I loved the film but did nod off a few times myself, very briefly. I'm not sure if it did improve the viewing experience, but it certainly didn't ruin the film for me.

Weerasethakul's films, certainly his more recent ones, deal with ghosts of the past interacting with the present to highlight our connection with the past, present and future, both politically and spiritually. A small knowledge of the history and current politics of Thailand would certainly make the film more rewarding. I don't know a huge amount of Thai history myself, but I think it helps having seen all of Weerasethakul's previous films, as these themes are fairly constant throughout his work. So approaching Cemetery of Splendour having seen his previous work helped enormously. I don't think I'd have got any where near as much from the film had it been my first

[dustin]

'Life is but a waking dream' is much more pronounced in this film than any other weerasethakul films. But he also acknowledges a certain melancholy in resisting to let go earthly desires. Not as boisterous (even for Weerasethakul standards) as Uncle Boonmee, but just as touching and beautiful, Cemetery of Splendour didn't disappoint me.

[Black Hat]

Fear not! At London Film Festival last year Weerasethakul introduced the film and stated 'it's okay to fall asleep watching this movie, in fact it might help'.

Some of the best sleep you will ever get is inside a movie theater. I nodded off towards the beginning of this one, thankfully might I add during the going to the bathroom scene.

As for the film I rather enjoyed this. The love Weerasthakul has for his country's people comes thru very genuinely. His eye is exquisite especially the few times he shot urban settings, but what made the film work was how sweet the lady is. I really liked spending time with her. I imagine she is representing a past of a developing nation struggling as they all tend to do with its history as they modernize. The film's sensibilities reminded me very much of Beau Travail, but it took the ending one step further with the absolutely devastating final shot.

Spoiler

Anybody make sense of the lights in the hospital? I loved how it looked, but didn't see how it fit in. Edit: just read this is something the American military does to encourage the soldiers to have good dreams.

[DarkImbecile]

Thanks, for the thoughts on this film, and especially some of the political subtext; hopefully coming at some of Weerasethakul's other work from a more informed perspective will enable me to have a deeper appreciation for them than, "Wow, that's prettyzzzz....."

Also glad to hear from the man himself that I need not be ashamed for drifting off a few times, though I still feel bad that I missed the final shot that heartthesilence felt so strongly about when I couldn't keep my eyes open during what I believe is the penultimate scene, featuring an outdoor exercise session. The last thing I remember was the protagonist's husband working up a sweat... and then suddenly it was halfway through the credits. Can anyone elaborate on what I missed, as it may be awhile before I get a chance to revisit this one?

It's just not in my realm of experience to have film-induced narcolepsy, director-approved or otherwise, so hopefully I can get past it in the future.

[swo17]

an outdoor exercise session

Syndromes and a Century does the exact same thing, and also spends most of its time hanging around hospitals. In that sense, this felt like a bit of a retread to me. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what Weerasethakul is doing here with the same ingredients that's different?

[Black Hat]

The last thing I remember was the protagonist's husband working up a sweat... and then suddenly it was halfway through the credits.

The American guy? Where/when? He was among the people exercising?

[DarkImbecile]

See?! Everyone was asleep!

[Raymond Marble]

Syndromes and a Century does the exact same thing, and also spends most of its time hanging around hospitals. In that sense, this felt like a bit of a retread to me. Does anyone have any thoughts as to what Weerasethakul is doing here with the same ingredients that's different?

Well, there are lots of commonalities amongst Joe's films; you're right that both Syndromes and a Century and Cemetery of Splendor are largely set in hospitals, and the first half of Blissfully Yours is as well. (And I have a hard time believing that you truly think that Cemetery is a retread of Syndromes merely because they both take place in hospitals...) Many of his films are neatly bisected, and/or deal with spirits, ghosts, dreaming, history, etc. It's just another of the things he's obsessed with. And, if I recall correctly, one or both of his parents worked (/work) in a hospital, so his fascination with them fits in autobiographically.

As for the calisthenics scenes in Syndromes and Cemetery, he actually directly addressed that when he spoke at the Siskel Film Center a couple of months ago. When asked about it he mostly just laughed and said he thinks that it's funny and couldn't help himself from putting it in again. But further, he said that seeing people publicly exercising like that is a very common thing in Thailand, and more entertainingly, depending on where you are in the country people tend to do different types of workouts, as if it's almost a regional dialect or something. Given that Syndromes and Cemetery are set in different regions of Thailand, this could be read as an exploration of that.

[Black Hat]

See?! Everyone was asleep!

This is one of those movies that makes you wish Pauline Kael was still alive to write about telling us why there's no point in seeing a film more than once.

[ianthemovie]

The last thing I remember was the protagonist's husband working up a sweat... and then suddenly it was halfway through the credits. Can anyone elaborate on what I missed, as it may be awhile before I get a chance to revisit this one?

Spoiler

If I remember right, the exercise shot is followed by a shot of the construction site where we had earlier seen the excavator digging. Some young boys are seen playing soccer nearby. In the next shot, we see an overhead shot of the boys continue to play soccer on the huge mounds of dirt from the construction site while Jen watches them silently from a bench off to the side. The final shot of the film is a close-up of Jen sitting perfectly still; her face has an expression of confusion or weariness and her eyes are open wide (presumably echoing the earlier scene in which the medium told her to open her eyes wide if she wants to wake herself up from a dream).

Fear not! At London Film Festival last year Weerasethakul introduced the film and stated 'it's okay to fall asleep watching this movie, in fact it might help'. I loved the film but did nod off a few times myself, very briefly. I'm not sure if it did improve the viewing experience, but it certainly didn't ruin the film for me.

I remember Charlotte Rampling and Andrew Haigh talking about this happening when they watch Tarkovsky's movies in the Criterion closet video they did a while ago. I thought, "I'm not the only one who does this?" Drifting in and out of sleep really does seem to augment, rather than detract from, the experience of watching Tarkovsky or Cemetery of Splendor, though I found myself zoning out more than actually falling asleep during the latter. Joe's films seem designed to produce that kind of semi-conscious meditative state in the viewer, which I quite like.