On his deathbed, Uncle Boonmee, recalls his many past lives.
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HIS review
I’m not really sure how to review this movie. This is one of those films that gets a five star review from the critics and wins awards at film festivals (including the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival 2010). I suspect the average viewer will find Uncle Boonmee odd and unwatchable. As Uncle Boonmee returns to his farm to end his days due to his worsening kidney condition, he is visited by spirits of deceased family members. The movie then attempts to be a little too ‘arty’, chopping and changing between incoherent and unnecessary scenes of his past lives (hence the title). There’s a scene where a woman has sex with a cat fish for goodness sakes!! It would help a great deal to understand more about Thai culture and beliefs in order to make more sense of certain scenes, but I don’t think this alone is enough to guarantee enjoyment.
HER review
I came out of the theatre not knowing whether I’d seen the best or the worst film ever… If it was the best, then it went straight over my head! The lack of music, constant wildlife noises and very slow dialogue didn’t make for the liveliest of films and was actually rather hypnotic (although on this occasion I didn’t fall asleep, much to my disappointment!). I’m sure that if you are knowledgable about Thai culture and spiritual beliefs then it might make a bit more sense but personally, I couldn’t understand the significance of the monkey ghosts, rampant catfish and general weird goings-on at Uncle Boonmee’s funny farm! The only saving grace was seeing the film at the magnificent State Theatre as part of the Sydney Film Festival.
What the public think
IMDb - 8.5 | Rotten Tomatoes - NA
Trailer
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