Movie No. 51 (2016): CEMETERY OF SPLENDOR

Cemetery of Splendor (2015)
Cast: Apichatpong Weerasethekul
Cast: Jenjira Pongpas, Banlop Lomnoi, Jarinpattra Rueangram
In Thai, with English subtitles

In my opinion, this movie is another example of cinema for the patient. If you're patient enough to last until the final scenes, you'll get your reward. The reward is satisfaction and a rewarding experience. In my case, I did get the expectation. However, I'm not ecstatic of the overall viewing experience.

The movie is mysterious. However, the slow burning narrative gets in the way to sustain the mystery. I'm not sure: maybe I don't have enough background on the mysticism that the movie uses as centerpiece. Soldiers with mysterious sleeping sickness in a facility that used to be an old school and installed in an estate that used to be a graveyard for kings is a very interesting premise. It's not all the time that we care about the characters - a volunteer care giver, a gifted medium who functions as bridge between the sleeping soldiers and their kins, and one of the patients. 

Despite its shortcomings, the movie is powerful, enchanting, and thought-provoking.

Rating: 3.0/4.0

Date seen: August 1, 2016

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