Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives details
| Formats: | 12 DVD, Blu-ray |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong, Kanokporn Thongaram |
| Director: | Apichatpong Weerasethakul |
| Genres: | Comedy - Romantic, Drama - Romantic, World Cinema |
| Studio: | FUSION MEDIA |
| Original title | LUNG BOONMEE RALEUK CHAT |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives |
12 Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 54 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 28 Mar 2011 |
| Main languages: | Thai |
| Subtitles: | English |
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LOVEFiLM Review
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By Tom Charity from LOVEFiLMAlthough this bizarre film from Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul divides critics, it won the Palme d'Or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
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Most helpful review
Such a disapointment
By AlexPhillips (41 reviews) from UK , 13 May 2011[Highly rated reviewer]
[Highly rated reviewer]
Having heard so many good things about this film I was eager to finally get my hands on a copy. I have to say I was bitterly disappointed.
The film itself has nothing intelligent to say about life, death, reincarnation, family or anything in particular as far as I could tell.
Several people have complained that the title is misleading because uncle Boonmee fails to recall any past lives; to me this is the least of its problems. The trouble is that very little of worth actually happens. Early scenes involving ghosts (human and monkey) promise a great deal, but the film fails to deliver in every sense. There is little to no substance to any of its content and we're left with nothing but empty (yet beautiful) landscape shots.
The cinematography is the one success of this otherwise empty (yet extremely bloated affair). It's filled with gorgeous Thai vistas which allows the viewer to be absorbed into the landscape and peacefulness of the film's setting. Anyone who caught last years Sleep Furiously will be familiar with this style and how effective it can be.
However, I wanted more. I wanted a story which explored the thought's of a dying man, the notions of past lives and the prospect of future ones. What I got was almost two hours of hollow drivel with absolutely nothing of consequence.
Such a disappointment.- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(72)Not a very lively life!
By Ian4 (4 reviews) , 13 Feb 2013Quite a strange, slow, film with few redeeming features. Does it reflect ANYTHING about the idea of reincarnation, which some people might find intriguing? NO.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Really hard work
By Ferry41 (228 reviews) from Oxford , 21 Dec 2012This is a loose collection of film anecdotes around Uncle Boonmee who is dying of kidney failure. It is an incredibly slow film. The first five minutes one spends watching a water buffalo meander around, and that pretty much sets the pace. There is no coherence to anything, which ultimately makes one feel pretty frustrated about it all.- Was this review helpful to you?
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A mystery wrapped up in an enigma
By HuddsOn (15 reviews) from Huddersfield , 25 Nov 2012Uncle Boonmee has little in the way of dramatic tension or character development and a disjointed structure. So I can understand why has been widely dismissed. But perhaps part of the reason why it has met with an unfavourable reception by many viewers is our expectations; we expect it to be saying something profound about spirituality, death or reincarnation. In fact, according to Weerasethakul, the film is actually more about memory than metaphysics, and furthermore it has been divided into four 'chapters' as a homage to four different genres of film - documentary, costume drama, etc. This may or may not help to dispel its obscurity, but there is perhaps the potential to see it as exploring Asian or Thai concepts of time, memory and identity in opposition to Western ones. The last half hour or so, post Boonmee's funeral, are particularly strange and fascinating as time and personal identity become fluid, a bit like in Mulholland Drive. And is there something symbolic about the last shot being in a karaoke bar?- Was this review helpful to you?
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UNCLE BIN ME
By AndrewSarchus (15 reviews) from London , 06 Mar 2012CRAP! Pretentious crap. There are long periods of time staring out to the scenery, with no apparent reason, none related to plot. Set om Bunmee's homestead in the Thai jungle, he is receiving treatment on a catheter and visited by his sister and her son, the ghost of his ex-wife and the ghost monkey of his son. Without any particular reason we are transported back to a princess carried on a palnquin to a waterfall. Later there are stills of some people, some dressed in combat fatigues, others in casuals baiting someone in an ape suit. Then laterl we are in downtown Bangkok, where the sister is sorting out money, with her daughter, visited by a monk, who fancies a meal. They divide leaving their doubles watching tv. That's it!- Was this review helpful to you?
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The 22 people who Loved this film are weird
By Onlyests (58 reviews) , 16 Feb 2012Okay, let's imagine that you're sitting at home wanting to watch a slightly weird, thought provoking, world cinema movie. It's complicated, though a little slow, and after a day or so you can't get it off your mind. Eventually, it all makes sense and you gain a new respect for the movie, and want to consider watching it again so you can get all the details you missed. One of those hard to explain, but very different in-a-good-way kinda films.
Okay, that's not this film.- Was this review helpful to you?
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