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Questo post ha lo scopo di condividere con voi i film thailandesi che nel corso di questi anni ho visto e apprezzato. Ovviamente la mia è una conoscenza parziale e se qualcuno volesse contribuire suggerendo altri titoli e autori mi farà molto piacere. Tornero' ancora sull'argomento anche perchè per il momento ho evitato il genere horror che è quello più prolifico del cinema thai.
Il primo regista che mi viene in mente è il più famoso al momento e il cui lavoro è apprezzato anche all'estero, Apichatapong Weerasathakul, nel 2010 vinse la Palma d'Oro a Cannes con "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ", in italiano "Lo zio Boonmee che si ricorda le vite precedenti". Ritmi molto lenti e riferimenti costanti alla cultura e tradizioni locali, non è un film facile da vedere (due amiche che convinsi a vederlo, dopo tre anni, ancora mi tormentano). A me è piaciuto perchè nel vederlo ho capito come sia possibile per i thai una interazione costante nel quotidiano con la presenza dei "fantasmi" o comunque con creature "altre"...e la magnificenza del rapporto ancestrale con la natura. Sia chiaro non è un film horror, anzi oserei dire che è quasi neo-realista considerando la realtà locale. Quando ricevette la Palma d'Oro il regista nei suoi ringraziamenti incluse anche "i miei fantasmi", il pubblico rise, ma io sono convinta che intendesse davvero ringraziare i fantasmi a lui vicini...
Per completezza di informazioni devo dire che Apichatapong è un artista che sperimenta varie forme di arte visuale, installazioni, cortometraggi, ecc... I suoi film hanno spesso avuto problemi con la censura, tanto che lui stesso ha deciso di non far uscire in Thailandia il suo ultimo lavoro "Cemetery of splendour", che a me intriga già dal titolo. Non avendolo ancora visto vi posto il link ad una bellissima recensione: http://specchioscuro.it/cemetery-of-splendour/
Ora in ordine sparso partendo da un film che ho visto molti anni fa, considerato ormai un classico: "Mekhong Full Moon Party", del 2002, (si trova anche su youtube nella versione thai senza i sottotitoli). Il film prende spunto dal fenomeno delle palle di fuoco che ogni anno in occasione della luna piena di Ottobre si alzano dal fiume Mekong, nei pressi della cittadina di Nong Khai. Un fenomeno che ogni anno attira migliaia di persone e finora rimasto senza spiegazioni, secondo la leggenda tale fenomeno è provocato dal serpente Naga che vive nel fiume. Il film parte dal presupposto che in realtà si tratti di un trucco realizzato dai monaci del tempio locale, ma...vabbe' non spoilero il finale. Cito solo una frase del dialogo tra il giovane protagonista e il suo "padre spirituale", l'abate del tempio, di fronte alle proteste del ragazzo circa l'inopportunità di perpetrare ancora questo fenomeno, il monaco risponde: "Ricordati la fede è più importante della verità" e lo consiglia a "fare quello in cui credi, e a credere in quello che fai". Aggiungo solo che vorrei proprio andare a Nong Khai il prossimo plenilunio di Ottobre...
Un film che reputo davvero imperdibile è "Beautiful Boxer" di Ekachai Uekrongtham, del 2003. Racconta la storia del campione di boxe thailandese Parinya Charoenphol detta Nong Toom, che nel momento di massimo successo e fama decise di intraprendere il percorso terapeutico per la riassegnazione del sesso. Una storia che suscitò un grande dibattito pubblico, un po' come se da noi una scelta del genere la facesse un calciatore come Francesco Totti. Il film che si snoda come una lunga intervista, ripercorre l'infanzia e l'adolescenza del campione, fino alla consapevolezza della necessità di operarsi.
"Jack: But I still don't understand how your parents can be so... accepting... of the fact that you wanna be a girl.
Nong Toom: They know it's my karma. I did bad thing in past life, so I had to suffer in this life.Jack: Where did you learn that from?Nong Toom: In the temple, when I was monk".
In queste poche battute c'è la sintesi del pensiero thailandese circa la transessualità e l'omosessualità, in parte viene a mancare lo stigma presente nelle culture occidentali, ma di certo l'identità trans o omosessuale attuale è la punizione per cattivi comportamenti in una vita precedente.
This post aims to share with you the Thai films that over the years I have seen and appreciated. Obviously my knowledge is partial and if someone would like to contribute by suggesting other titles and authors I will be very pleased. I'll come back to the subject again also because for the moment I've avoided the horror genre which is the most prolific of Thai cinema.
The first director who comes to mind is the most famous at the moment and whose work is also appreciated abroad, Apichatapong Weerasathakul, in 2010 won the Palme d'Or in Cannes with "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ", in Italian "Lo zio Boonmee che si ricorda le vite precedenti". Very slow rhythms and constant references to local culture and traditions, it's not an easy film to watch (two friends who I convinced to see it, after three years, are still tormenting me). I liked it because when I saw it I understood how it is possible for the Thai a constant interaction in everyday life with the presence of "ghosts" or with "other" creatures ... and the magnificence of the ancestral relationship with nature. Let's be clear: it's not a horror film, on the contrary, I dare say that it's almost neo-realist considering the local reality. When he received the Palme d'Or, the director in his thanks also included "my ghosts", the audience laughed, but I am convinced that he really wanted to thank the ghosts near him ...
For a complete information I must say that Apichatapong is an artist who experiments with various forms of visual art, installations, short films, etc. ... His films have often had problems with censorship, so much so that he himself decided not to release in Thailand his latest work "Cemetery of splendour", which intrigues me already from the title. Not having seen it yet, I put a link to a beautiful review: http://specchioscuro.it/cemetery-of-splendour/
Now in scattered order starting from a film I saw many years ago, now considered a classic: "Mekhong Full Moon Party", 2002, (also found on youtube in the Thai version without subtitles). The film takes its cue from the phenomenon of fireballs that every year during the full moon in October rise from the river Mekong, near the town of Nong Khai. A phenomenon that every year attracts thousands of people and so far remained unexplained, according to legend this phenomenon is caused by the snake Naga who lives in the river. The film starts from the assumption that it is actually a trick made by the monks of the local temple, but...well, it doesn't spoil the ending. I quote only one sentence from the dialogue between the young protagonist and his "spiritual father", the abbot of the temple, in the face of the boy's protests about the inappropriateness of perpetrating this phenomenon again, the monk replies: "Remember faith is more important than truth" and advises him to "do what you believe in, and believe in what you do". I would just like to add that I would like to go to Nong Khai on the next full moon in October...
A film that I think is really not to be missed is "Beautiful Boxer" by Ekachai Uekrongtham, from 2003. It tells the story of Thai boxing champion Parinya Charoenphol, known as Nong Toom, who at the height of his success and fame decided to embark on a therapeutic path to sex reassignment. A story that aroused a great public debate, a bit like a choice like that made by a footballer like Francesco Totti. The film unfolds like a long interview, retracing the childhood and adolescence of the champion, up to the awareness of the need to operate.
"Jack: But I still don't understand how your parents can be so... accepting... of the fact that you wanna be a girl.
Nong Toom: They know it's my karma. I did bad thing in past life, so I had to suffer in this life.
Jack: Where did you learn that from?
Nong Toom: In the temple, when I was monk".
In these few lines there is the synthesis of Thai thought about transsexuality and homosexuality, in part there is a lack of stigma that is present in Western cultures, but certainly the current transsexual or homosexual identity is the punishment for bad behavior in a previous life.
[ENGLISH VERSION]
This post aims to share with you the Thai films that over the years I have seen and appreciated. Obviously my knowledge is partial and if someone would like to contribute by suggesting other titles and authors I will be very pleased. I'll come back to the subject again also because for the moment I've avoided the horror genre which is the most prolific of Thai cinema.
The first director who comes to mind is the most famous at the moment and whose work is also appreciated abroad, Apichatapong Weerasathakul, in 2010 won the Palme d'Or in Cannes with "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives - ลุงบุญมีระลึกชาติ", in Italian "Lo zio Boonmee che si ricorda le vite precedenti". Very slow rhythms and constant references to local culture and traditions, it's not an easy film to watch (two friends who I convinced to see it, after three years, are still tormenting me). I liked it because when I saw it I understood how it is possible for the Thai a constant interaction in everyday life with the presence of "ghosts" or with "other" creatures ... and the magnificence of the ancestral relationship with nature. Let's be clear: it's not a horror film, on the contrary, I dare say that it's almost neo-realist considering the local reality. When he received the Palme d'Or, the director in his thanks also included "my ghosts", the audience laughed, but I am convinced that he really wanted to thank the ghosts near him ...
For a complete information I must say that Apichatapong is an artist who experiments with various forms of visual art, installations, short films, etc. ... His films have often had problems with censorship, so much so that he himself decided not to release in Thailand his latest work "Cemetery of splendour", which intrigues me already from the title. Not having seen it yet, I put a link to a beautiful review: http://specchioscuro.it/cemetery-of-splendour/
Now in scattered order starting from a film I saw many years ago, now considered a classic: "Mekhong Full Moon Party", 2002, (also found on youtube in the Thai version without subtitles). The film takes its cue from the phenomenon of fireballs that every year during the full moon in October rise from the river Mekong, near the town of Nong Khai. A phenomenon that every year attracts thousands of people and so far remained unexplained, according to legend this phenomenon is caused by the snake Naga who lives in the river. The film starts from the assumption that it is actually a trick made by the monks of the local temple, but...well, it doesn't spoil the ending. I quote only one sentence from the dialogue between the young protagonist and his "spiritual father", the abbot of the temple, in the face of the boy's protests about the inappropriateness of perpetrating this phenomenon again, the monk replies: "Remember faith is more important than truth" and advises him to "do what you believe in, and believe in what you do". I would just like to add that I would like to go to Nong Khai on the next full moon in October...
A film that I think is really not to be missed is "Beautiful Boxer" by Ekachai Uekrongtham, from 2003. It tells the story of Thai boxing champion Parinya Charoenphol, known as Nong Toom, who at the height of his success and fame decided to embark on a therapeutic path to sex reassignment. A story that aroused a great public debate, a bit like a choice like that made by a footballer like Francesco Totti. The film unfolds like a long interview, retracing the childhood and adolescence of the champion, up to the awareness of the need to operate.
"Jack: But I still don't understand how your parents can be so... accepting... of the fact that you wanna be a girl.
Nong Toom: They know it's my karma. I did bad thing in past life, so I had to suffer in this life.
Jack: Where did you learn that from?
Nong Toom: In the temple, when I was monk".
In these few lines there is the synthesis of Thai thought about transsexuality and homosexuality, in part there is a lack of stigma that is present in Western cultures, but certainly the current transsexual or homosexual identity is the punishment for bad behavior in a previous life.
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Non è mia intenzione censurare alcun tipo di commento che rispetti le norme del dibattito civile e rispettoso. Però è mio dovere ricordare che in Thailandia vige una legge sulla Lesa Maestà molto severa. Per tanto siete invitati ad evitare qualsiasi commento sui re presenti, passati e futuri, e anche su qualsiasi membro della famiglia reale.