Tropical Malady

Star Review

Any director who makes a film that switches scenario without explanation half way through and guest stars a talking monkey has some chutzpah, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, arguably the most exciting director at work today, has already garnered a reputation for audacity (his masterly Syndromes and a Century was released on DVD last month). In Tropical Malady, the first half deals with the gradual romance between a male soldier and a country boy in the Thai jungle. In a haunting, underplayed interlude the boy is spirited away. In the second half the soldier is on the trail of an apparently shape-shifting entity which may or may not be his departed lover. The plot sounds far-fetched, but Apichatpong makes it work incredibly well, conveying the sensuality and mystique of the jungle. A shot of a tree lit up by fireflies is astonishing, as is the hypnotic final encounter between the hero and a tiger. Film critic Peter Bradshaw wrote that “it may turn out to be a masterpiece or just barking mad”. A barking mad masterpiece just about sums it up.

Alex Davidson on 7th February 2008

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Film Description

A masterpiece of contemporary world cinema that cements Weerasethakul's reputation as one of the most original film directors of the 21st century. Mysterious and beautiful, it's a film of two loosely-connected halves with the second half feeding on the memories of the first. The first part shows scenes from the romance between a soldier and his male lover; the second half shows the same soldier lost in the jungle, pursuing and being pursued by a Khmer shaman in the form of a tiger. The film won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2004 and received outstanding reviews.

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DVD Extras

• Thirdworld - DVD premiere of Apichatpong’s 1997 short film.
• Newly filmed interview with the Director
• New digital transfer approved by the director
• Original Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound option
• New and improved English subtitle translation
• Optimal quality dual-layer disc, including Stills Gallery and Storyboard sequence
• Booklet featuring a new essay by film historian and author Tony Rayns.

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