Cemetery of Splendour

Apichatpong Weerasethakul is a well-known and respected filmmaker throughout the world and also specifically by New Horizons audiences, who are familiar with some of his work, such as Blissfully Yours (third New Horizons), Tropical Malady (fifth New Horizons), Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (11th New Horizons), and Mekong Hotel (12th New Horizons). His latest film took part in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section at the Festival in Cannes. Cemetery of Splendour is centered around a former school building, which is currently set up as a hospital to care for soldiers who have fallen in a mysterious coma. Jenjira, who is struggling with her own physical imperfections, volunteers at the institution. She is particularly interested in a handsome soldier named Itt, and she devotes most of her attention to him. With time, Jenjira notices that she is "in synch" with Itt, who regains consciousness soon after that. A simple narrative makes it possible to keep track of this multidimensional story without giving in to easy, unambiguous interpretations. The starting point for the story may have been an incident from a few years earlier when, under unclear circumstances, 40 soldiers were quarantined in a hospital in the north of Thailand. The director uses metaphors to talk about the situation in his country: about the political turmoil, the coups d'état, the outbursts of aggression, and the protests that have paralyzed the government. Weerasethakul's film is not only a political allegory but also a trip back to his childhood and family village where the action takes place.