CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR (Rak TiKhon Kaen)
Masters D: Apichatpong Weerasethakul. Thailand/UK/France/Germany/Malaysia. 122 min. Sep 13, 9:30 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 2 Sep 15, 12:30 pm AGO. Rating: NNN
A volunteer (Jenjira Pongpas Widner) befriends one of the soldiers (Banlop Lomnoi) suffering from a mysterious sleeping sickness at a makeshift hospital in Isan, Thailand.
Apichatpong’s latest venture into low-key magic realism is pleasurable but familiar. Amidst the moments of swooning beauty and unexpected comedy, fans will notice him lifting elements from earlier films Syndromes And A Century, Tropical Malady and Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
Perhaps he’s cleaning out his closet in preparation for something more ambitious.