Directed by Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnnon Siriphol, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Thailand, Hong Kong • 2018 • 102 mins. • In Thai, English with English subtitles
The political realities of modern day Thailand are challenged in the four chapters of this omnibus presentation, inspired by the Hong Kong-produced festival triumph Ten Years (2015), which was banned in mainland China upon its release. In Aditya Assarat’s Sunset, a series of photographs hung in a small gallery comes under the scrutiny of low-level police officers. Wisit Sasanatieng’s Catopia envisions an alternate society where cat people have conquered humanity. Avant-garde video artist Chulayarnnon Siriphol’s Planetarium critiques power that demands conformity in a highly psychedelic fashion. Finally, Thailand’s most internationally known filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul poses his characters beneath a large statue of an infamous Thai dictator in Song of the City, asking the audience to draw their own conclusions.
Filmography: Aditya Assarat–Wonderful Town (2007), Hi-So (2011) Wisit Sasanatieng–Tears of the Black Tiger (2000), Citizen Dog (2004), The Unseeable (2006) Apichatpong Weerasethakul–Mysterious Object at Noon (2000), Blissfully Yours (2002), Tropical Malady (2004), Syndromes and a Century (2006), Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010), Mekong Hotel (2012), Cemetery of Splendour (2015)