Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

[Sonic Youth]

Nice to see you finally, Brian. You look like Pete Seegar.

[The Original BJ]

I've seen it four times (as I have, at minimum, all of Apichatpong's five feature films), and I'm not sure where to begin to answer your question.

Four times?! You are a far better cineaste than I.

I'm sort of at the point now where I just have to acknowledge that I don't really "get" Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It feels weird to even say that, because I don't think you're supposed to "get" his movies in any kind of traditional sense -- even many of his fans seem to argue that his films exist not for you to understand entirely what they mean, but as visual/aural experiences in which to envelop yourself. The problem for me is that I haven't found these experiences pleasurable, merely impenetrable. But, to each his own.

You think Boonmee was the princess in the fairy tale rather than the catfish?

How did you interpret the final sequence, with the family at the tv?

What constitutes Boonmee's past lives -- the water buffalo, the catfish/princess, the military photo flashback...anything else?

What do you think the movie is about? (I ask this not to take a reductive approach toward the film, but because so many rave reviews of the picture seem to take a "stop worrying about what it means...just enjoy the textures" p.o.v., I'm curious to see if any of the film's fans do value it as a series of puzzle pieces that cohere into a larger, more meaningful whole.)

I totally feel like a philistine w/r/t this director, but I guess we're all entitled to one cool auteur we find completely unengaging.



Edited By The Original BJ on 1299947582

[Big Magilla]

Nice job, Brian, and very brave of you to follow that cute kid talking about Mars Needs Moms.

[rain Bard]

I've seen it four times (as I have, at minimum, all of Apichatpong's five feature films), and I'm not sure where to begin to answer your question. But I think I could pick at it from various points. Any specific questions you have?

While you're thinking, here is a link to an interview I recently gave about the film. My segment starts about five minutes in.

[The Original BJ]

WHAT ON EARTH, THE AFTERLIFE, OR ANY PLACE IN BETWEEN IS HAPPENING IN THIS MOVIE?!!