Tropical Malady

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Movie
German title Tropical Malady
Original title สัตว์ ประหลาด (Sud pralad)
Country of production Thailand , France , Italy , Germany
original language Thai
Publishing year 2004
length 125 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul
script Apichatpong Weerasethakul
production Charles de Meaux ,
Axel Moebius
camera Jarin Pengpanitch ,
Vichit Tanapanitch ,
Jean-Louis Vialard
cut Lee Chatametikool ,
Jacopo Quadri
occupation

Tropical Malady (original title Sud pralad ) is a Thai fictional film by the filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul from 2004. At the 2004 Cannes International Film Festival , the film was awarded the Jury Prize.

action

The soldier Keng and his unit occupy a post in a small town in rural Thailand. At the beginning of the film, the soldiers recover a dead man who was apparently killed by a tiger. Here he meets the farmer's son Tong and the two soon become friends. They take forays through the summer landscape and visit cinemas and bars together. Keng begins to campaign aggressively for Tong's love, which, however, is hesitant and insecure. One evening Keng kisses his clenched fist as a token of his love, whereupon Tong does the same and then leaves.

A little later the film changes abruptly to another story, which is shot with the same main actors and can be interpreted in connection with the first story. Several cows were stolen in the village and one of the villagers has disappeared, whereupon the soldier goes into the jungle to investigate the mysterious occurrences. In the forest, the soldier meets a shaman who can evidently transform himself into various animals - including a mighty tiger. The soldier wanders deeper and deeper into the jungle, he loses his radio and all contact with the outside world, he only has his rifle. A monkey seems to be talking to him and explains to him that he should either kill the tiger with the shaman's spirit inside or surrender to the tiger and then let himself be killed, whereupon he could be drawn into the shaman's world. The soldier feels more and more persecuted by the tiger and when he finally meets him, he seems to surrender to his fate.

Awards

At the 2004 Cannes Film Festival , the film was awarded the Jury Prize. It was also the first Thai film to be shown in competition at one of the three major film festivals - Cannes, Berlinale and Venice. At the São Paulo International Film Festival , Tropical Malady won the Critics' Award that same year.

In 2016, Tropical Malady was voted 52nd in the BBC's survey of international critics for the best films of the 21st century to date . In a September 2019 list of the same topic in the British newspaper The Guardian , the film was ranked 84th.

Reviews

Tropical Malady was received in Cannes split by the audience, so many are said to have left the hall before the end of the film. After the film received an award, the reviews became increasingly friendly. Deborah Young of Variety wrote that the film was "a mysterious and sparingly fascinating journey into the gloom of the human heart and Thai legends". However, the first part of the film in particular is poorly constructed and will put most viewers to a test of patience. At the same time, Young praised the camera work and said that there were some excellent moments, especially towards the end of the film. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian wrote that Tropical Malady with its unconventional narrative style challenges cinematic conventions "more playfully and seductively than almost any other film at the moment". The film is “maybe a masterpiece, simply a cult classic or totally crazy”, but in any case a “brilliant adventure in structure and style” with a gripping climax.

The film service writes that Tropical Malady is a "visually compelling, associative drama of silent looks". He chanted in a “dreamlike way between nature and civilization and exerts a great fascination. Long shots, fades to black and subtitles give the film, which defies categorization, at best a vague structure. ”The magazine Prisma was more critical and said that the film appeared“ inconsistent and strange ”due to the strong breaks in the plot. "Despite his social criticism, the maker couldn't decide whether he wanted to direct a horror, crime, or even speculative sex film," speculates Prisma.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Tropical Malady . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , March 2006 (PDF; test number: 105 700 DVD).
  2. ↑ Peter Bradshaw, Cath Clarke, Andrew Pulver, Catherine Shoard: The 100 best films of the 21st century . In: The Guardian . September 13, 2019, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed January 16, 2020]).
  3. ↑ Deborah Young, Deborah Young: Tropical Malady. In: Variety. May 18, 2004, accessed January 24, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Peter Bradshaw: Tropical Malady - review . In: The Guardian . March 4, 2005, ISSN  0261-3077 ( theguardian.com [accessed January 24, 2020]).
  5. ^ Tropical Malady. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed January 18, 2020 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  6. ^ Tropical Malady. In: prisma.de . Retrieved January 18, 2020 .