Film Number 10 on PinHeadLarry145's 30 Days 30 Countries Film Challenge!

Thailand, 2011.

I've been behind for a few days, but here I am. My 10th film of the challenge! And what better way to mark this milestone by watching a film that intrigued me for a couple of years now. I was always under the impression that it was some impenetrable film. Or some film that is impossible to find. I built it up to be some kind of long lost magical item that I would probably never see.

I didn't have to take a lotus flower to the top of a mountain, or perform some ancient blood magic to watch this movie. It was actually very easy to get a hold of. I guess I never really tried before....

I just pirated the shit out of it.

And while Uncle Boonmee turned out to be easy to find, its still as impenetrable as I expected. I heard somewhere that reading up on religious history of the region helps a little in understanding the film. I decided to go in clean slate and it was still just one big mystery. And honestly, I doubt reading up on religious texts would've been the missing key to unlocking this film. I think this film was meant to be seen at its purest and barest form. I think its meant to be approached as is and its supposed to leave you with many questions and answers. It's a true spiritual journey in every sense of the word. The story is centered around a dying man who is surrounded by various members of his family in a quiet and lush homestead in Thailand. Throughout the film, this man "Uncle Boonmee" is visited by many spirits and demons from his life. The film also has flashback and dream sequences that touch on themes of reincarnation and spirituality. The plot is weird and takes some directions that admittedly I had a hard time following. It's a lush and beautiful movie but it could've been guided better. It seems to wander around in the jungle looking for something but never quite finding it. Some would call the ambiguity a plus, but I'm sure it left some people in the dark. Me? I'm torn between the two.

I found the film to be very beautiful when I try not to think about it too much. I try to look at the film as a movie about dying. Tenderness, beauty, being surrounded by loved ones, memories reappearing and past and present becoming one and the same. But when I try to go any deeper than that I'm at a loss of words. I won't kid myself. I won't pretend to know more about this movie than I actually do. I'll save that for when I watch it a few more times.

As it stands now, Uncle Boonmee is a unique and beautiful piece but its complex, muddled, flawed and sometimes just plain goofy. But ultimately I'm glad I experienced it. Hopefully it will get better upon each viewing!