Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)

One of the worst movies I've ever seen

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

Joined by the ghost of his deceased wife and the spirit of his long-lost son, a terminally ill Thai man spends a quiet weekend with his sister-in-law at a rural property in this highly unusual movie from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film opens with a striking nighttime scene in which the protagonist recalls a former life as an ox, observed by a creature with glowing red eyes. Contrary to the title though, the vast majority of the film is not concerned with Boonmee recalling past lives but rather his contentment at spending his last few days with the wife and son he once cherished. The majority of the movie is also set in the daytime, which feels like a misstep given how atmospheric all the dusk, twilight and evening scenes are. The wife and son though are the oddest bits here and their inexplicable appearances as he approaches death never quite gels. The film feels like a comedy at times with the way one character jumps when the wife suddenly appears, only for a hardly phased Boonmee to offer her a drink moments later. It is also hard to know whether to laugh when the son announces that he has become a monkey ghost after mating with such a creature and both the son and subsequent monkey spirits are more enchanting when viewed at a distance. More could be said, but suffice to say that while the film has some beautiful images (the underwater moments are divine) and thought-provoking dialogue ("ghosts aren't attached to places but people"), this is such a quizzical movie with such an unclear narrative that its magic may get lost on those wishing to decipher it.

This film won the 2010 Cannes Palme d'Or (best film award). Its incredible cinematography and excellent use of color combine to create an eerily beautiful atmosphere that is supremely transformative, but in terms of storytelling won't suit the palate of mainstream tastes.Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul has a wonderful eye for human tragedy and a brilliant way of weaving Thai spirituality throughout the mundanity and at times absurdity of every day life. This film focuses on Uncle Boonmee. While he is dying he is beset by the ghosts of dead relatives; A terminally familiar Thai plot. With the scary appearance of Boonmee's dead son in the form of a red-eyed monkey spirit, its a movie that explores the scattered connection between the living and the dead, and the emotional resonance that bolsters it.Given only days to live, he demands that he be allowed to die at home where he becomes saturated by images of his past lives and their respective humor, tragedy and totality. If you liked this, I suggest you also like watching Tropical Malady another great film from my native country Thailand.

When it comes to art films, there's always been a divide. More casual viewers are more likely to dismiss a lot of them as pretentious and stupid, film buffs are more likely to find them beautiful and above anything you'll spend ten to fifteen to watch in a multiplex today. "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives" is one of those films, however, that even divides film buffs amongst themselves. Despite winning Palme D'or, the film has many detractors, and a 6.6 on this site(as of this review). 6.6 isn't bad but far below what you would expect given some of the praise. So, what IS this film exactly?The title character is a man who is slowly dying, living out with his family for his remaining days. Those days become consumed by flashbacks to past lives (though it's not always clear what that life is or how it relates), being visited by the ghost of his wife, and trying to plan for his after life. The film has a very loose structure. Many people find the pace unbearably slow, I think in part because the film doesn't really build up to anything. To call this film meditative would not be a hyperbole, it's a mellow kind of movie. After watching it, I felt different, like I had been given the world's greatest massage, my muscles loosened up and everything, it's not like anything I've gotten from a movie before. This is helped by the beautiful scenery and cinematography. This is a movie that, if you can't watch it on a big screen with loud speakers, should at least be watched in a dark room with headphones if watching on a laptop/desktop. There's little in way of soundtrack (except for one beautiful song later in the film), but the sounds of nature are beautifully captured.The actual narrative is composed of many smaller stories, all of which connect with Boonmee. All of them work on their own level, and together do create a low key but very, very touching film. the scene where Boonmee talks to the spirit of his wife about the anxiety he used to have giving speeches may be the highlight there, though the princess story and the final flashback are also up there.This is a film you have to watch on it's terms. You have to be willing to watch it as a more meditative kind of experience, to simply enjoy it the way one might enjoy a hike in the woods of a car ride. If that's not what you want out of a film, avoid this at all costs.For me, personally, I was a little hesitant going in, given how divided opinion was, but I'm glad I did, and will certainly watch again. It's a powerful film. It won't necessarily leave you in tears, but it will likely leave an impression on those who gravitate towards things like this.

I really do wish I could like this. As it is, I think it has some dazzling sequences, and some really atmospheric and hypnotizing scenes. For the most part though, it didn't amount to much for me, and that's because I was just really bored by a lot of it. This really just comes down to whether one is hypnotized or bored by it, and unfortunately for me it was the latter. That doesn't mean that it's an awful film, it has way too much originality in what I saw to label it as such (and whether it has anything to really say is anyone's guess). Still, I wouldn't recommend this to most people, simply because it's so hard to get into. Not recommended.