
This film is an experimental mix of documentary and fiction. The film crew travels from the Thai countryside to Bangkok, asking the people they encounter along the way to continue a story about a handicapped boy and his teacher.... (Full plot summary below)
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This film is an experimental mix of documentary and fiction. The film crew travels from the Thai countryside to Bangkok, asking the people they encounter along the way to continue a story about a handicapped boy and his teacher.
Leave your thoughts about Mysterious Object at Noon.
| El Pais (Spain)Jordi CostaA tale constructed by many where the camera slowly builds up a story of many voice and methods. [Full review in Spanish] |
| Combustible CelluloidJeffrey M. AndersonThis masterpiece from new Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul blends fiction and nonfiction into a form of cinema previously forged by Hou Hsiao-hsien and Abbas Kiarostami. |
| User ReviewSpencer PExploring new boundaries through bold experimentation and playing with the line that separates reality and fantasy through the art of cinema, a new auteur arises, constantly challenging our concepts of imagination and improvisation, but always emphasizing the harsh social aura surrounding a random tale and the folkloric aura behind it. 97/100 |
| User ReviewEmily NAwesome . . . in the old sense of the word. |
| User ReviewBrook KThe Mysterious Object at Noon, often described as a surrealist film, is one of those cinematic experiences viewers either love or hate; it is one in which there is no middle ground. While there is no real genre into which this movie falls, it is perhaps best described as a documentary, in which Weerasethakul travels deep into the jungles of Thailand collecting variations on a simple folktale. The thing is, the film also examines the ways in which Weerasethakul asking about the tale changes it, and at times actively influences this, turning it in some ways into a game of exquisite corpse. You will either be bored senseless or fascinated. |
| User ReviewMartin TIt can sit alongside Linklater's Slacker or Kim's Real Fiction as an example of experimental "exquisite corpse" style storytelling, in which the central plot (if there is one) is told by a constantly rotating cast of participants. In this case, a woman telling a painful story of being sold into prostitution by her parents is interrupted by the cameraman who suggests she tell something else. This story, a tale of a crippled boy and his teacher, is told, retold, and transmuted until it becomes a fantastic composite containing bits of each person who helped tell it. Along the way there are many other (seemingly) random snippets which don't necessarily add to the main story, but don't exactly detract either(the amulet-centric piece in the doctor's office was particularly funny). Highly recommended if you're up for something difficult and very Thai. |
| User ReviewEric RIt is a film that feels distinctly original. |
| User ReviewMax SAn earlier work of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, well craved story-telling skill, unconventional still smoothly laid out. His technique for example, long shot, still shot and voice over a stillness scene can all been seen in his later works such as "Tropical Malady" and "Syndromes and a century." An interesting play on pop culture and a traditional folk story, crossing the boundary of fact: artifact, reality:mystery, tradition:modern... |
| User ReviewEvan DIf you're looking for a completely unique viewing experience, I can't think of a better candidate than this film. It's a pseudo-documentary approach that toys with reality and the relationship between the viewer and the film. |
| User ReviewJochen Wfilmisches erzählen jenseits aller denkbaren konzepte von wirklichkeit und wahrheit. ich habe keine ahnung, wovon weerasethakuls filme sprechen, aber sie wirken merkwürdig faszinierend und beunruhigend modern. |