Cemetery of Splendor

Weerasethakul once again proves masterful in exploring the intersection of the human and spirit worlds through a film of delicate, sumptuous beauty. A few soldiers lie stricken by a mysterious sleeping sickness in a rural hospital. The film’s subtle theme of healing brought about with the help of otherworldly forces encompasses not just the prone figures in bed, but characters including a hospital volunteer, a psychic, and an awakened soldier, all of whom will come to walk, knowingly or unknowingly, with resident spirits. The real and the supernatural mix with casual concreteness and infusions of offhand humor under the placid spell of Weerasethakul’s mythic worldview.

This screening includes a special introduction by filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasthakul.

“A theme central to Apichatpong’s work is that of the secret world hidden behind the visible one, whether historical, political, or metaphysical. What Apichatpong gives us in Cemetery is the sense of an immediate magic that dispenses with special effects to more directly address the imagination—to make us reimagine what’s in front of our eyes.” —Ivone Marguiles, Criterion.com

Film Details

Country: Thailand
Language: Thai
Year: 2015
Running time: 122 min
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Producers: Charles de Meaux, Simon Field, Hans W. Geissendörfer, Michael Weber
Writer: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Cinematographer: Diego García
Editor: Lee Chatametikool
With: Banlop Lomnoi, Jenjira Pongpas, Jarinpattra Rueangram
Print Source: Strand Releasing

Films and schedules may be subject to change.