And now, as the Pythons used to say, for something completely different. Experimental Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul puts into cinematic practice the surrealistic storytelling technique known as the Exquisite Corpse, wherein different narrators add on to a story without knowing the contributions of previous participants. Weerasethakul travels across Thailand and solicits a cross-section of the populace (including a rural theatrical troupe) to pick up on one young woman's story about a teacher whose student is a neglected, wheelchair-bound boy. Filmed in black and white, this ethnographic film makes up for its grainy look with wild flights of the imagination, including a wonderful moment when schoolchildren carry on the story (one troublemaker leaves the frame, but is stunned to hear his classmate's plot twist upon his return seconds later. "Whoa," he interrupts. "The teacher is dead?"). Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)
Mysterious Object at Noon
Plexifilm, 85 min., in Thai w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 18, Issue 2
Mysterious Object at Noon
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