Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

Uncle Boonmee (Thanapat Salsaymar) is suffering from acute liver failure, and has decided to spend his last days in the Thai countryside, surrounded by his loved ones.

To his surprise, he is visited by the ghost of his dead wife (Natthakarn Aphaiwonk) and also his long lost son, who returns home in a non-human form – that of a man-sized hairy animal with blazing red eyes.

He dwells on his different past lives as he contemplates the reasons for his illness, and towards the end of the film treks through the jungle, with his family, to reach a mysterious and beautiful hilltop cave – the birthplace of his first life where he wants to end his current one.

Most memorable, though, are the animal ghosts – one of whom is Boonmee’s long lost son – who emerge from the forest. In a charming reference to old-fashioned horror movies, these ghosts are simply actors in cheap gorilla suits, replete with blazing red eyes to distract from the amusingly ordinariness of their costumes. Again this is Weerasethakul having some fun, and offering his audience the chance to laugh out loud.

UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES is an elegantly artistic film that is both visually arresting and engagingly entertaining. Certainly not a film for everyone – but certainly one that will stay with an audience once watched.

Mark Adams