- dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul
- year. 2015
- country. Thailand
- runtime. 122 mins
- certificate. 12A
£5 (£3.50 conc.)
Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jenjira, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including coloured light therapy, to ease the mens’ troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt’s cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers’ enigmatic syndrome and the mythic ancient site that lies beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen’s tender path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.
“Probably the closest Apichatpong Weerasethakul will ever come to a state-of-the-nation report on Thailand... You could think of it as Apichatpong’s answer to The Shining.”
“It is such a strange film in its way... and it needs a real investment of attention. But there is something sublime in it.”