Roong longs for the day when she can be in the arms of her Burmese lover, Min, an illegal immigrant. She pays Orn, an older woman to take care of Min while she looks for a place for them to share their happiness. One afternoon, Min takes Roong to have a picnic in the jungle where they feel free to express their love. Meanwhile, Orn has also gone to the jungle with Tommy, her husband’s co-worker. Will an overdose of happiness have after-effects? –Cannes Film Festival
Apichatpong “Joe” Weerasethakul (Thai: อภิชาติพงศ์ วีระเศรษฐกุล; born July 16, 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or prize; Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; and Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there.
Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. Themes reflected in his films (frequently discussed in interviews) include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality), and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films… read more
Static, but authentic, seeped in humanism amidst its interactions - completely natural. That such a scant narrative retains engagement so seamlessly says well of the personalised filmmaking behind it. Its portrayal of becoming lost in one’s senses in the heat of the jungle casts such a spell that it could almost be labelled life itself - not even any particular emotional cogitation, but simply a striking, triumphant degustation of Weerasethakul’s auteurism, and his idiosyncratic brand of serenity.
"My sense is that Joe and his films bring out the best in people. And that his swift rise to prominence, to the upper ranks of
An extremely distinguished style is always attributed… read review
Blissfully Yours is graceful and gentle, content to simply watch its well-drawn characters relax.
The film begins with a pleasant exchange between a well-meaning doctor and two women… read review