Tropical Malady

Infobox Film
name = Tropical Malady


caption = The Thai film poster.
director = Apichatpong Weerasethakul
producer = Charles de Meaux
Alex Moebius
eproducer =
aproducer =
writer = Apichatpong Weerasethakul
starring = Sakda Kaewbuadee
Banlop Lomnoi
Sirivech Jareonchon
Udom Promma
Huai Deesom
music =
cinematography = Jarin Pengpanitch
Vichit Tanapanitch
Jean-Louis Vialard
editing = Lee Chatametikool
Jacopo Quadrie
distributor = TIFA
Kick the Machine
Anna Sanders Films
released = May 17, 2004 (premiere at Cannes)
June 24, 2004 (Thailand)
runtime = 125 min.
country = Thailand
awards = Cannes Film Festival
language = Thai
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
amg_id = 1:307728
imdb_id = 0381668

"Tropical Malady" (Thai: สัตว์ประหลาด or "Sud pralad"; RTGS: Satpralat) is a 2004 Thai romantic psychological drama film directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It is a film in two segments – the first part a romance story about two homosexual men, and the second a mysterious tale about a soldier lost in the woods, bedeviled by the spirit of a shaman. It won the Jury Prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be in the main competition at Cannes.cite web | title = Cannes 2004 > In competition > Sud Pradad | publisher = Cannes Film Festival | url = http://www.festival-cannes.fr/films/fiche_film.php?langue=6002&id_film=4201593 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-01-08] It is also the first Thai film to win a prize at any of the "A festivals".

ynopsis

Keng (Banlop Lomnoi), a young soldier, is assigned to a post in a small city in rural Thailand. The troops' main duties, it seems, is to investigate the mysterious slaying of cattle at local farms. While in the field one day, Keng meets Tong (Sakda Kaewbuadee). Later, Keng sees Tong riding in a truck in town. The two men have made a connection and embark on a romance, taking trips in the countryside.

Then one night, the country boy wanders off into the dark. The film's narrative abruptly shifts to a different story, about a soldier (played by Lomnoi again) sent alone into the woods to find a lost villager. In the woods, the soldier encounters the spirit of a tiger shaman (played by Kaewbuadee again), who taunts and bedevils the soldier, causing him to run through the woods and become lost and islolated himself.

Reception

At the press screening at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, several audience members left before the film was over and some of those who stayed until the end booed it. The film received generally poor reviews from such industry journals as "Variety" and "Hollywood Reporter", but then won the Jury Prize from the jury headed by Quentin Tarantino and has been generally met with favorable reviews since then. [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/vine/journal_view.php?journalid=100000335&entryid=66832&view=public Tropical Malady elicits boos and bewilderment] , Rotten Tomatoes journal entry, May 19, 2004, cites Reuters (retrieved July 19, 2006).]

Also, it was ranked 49th on They Shoot Pictures, Don't They's list of the 250 best films of the 21st century and was rated the 3rd best film of 2005 by Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez

In Thailand, the film screened for just 10 days at the Siam Theatre. [Pfaff, Tim (July 9, 2005). [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/07/09/DDG60DKJEQ1.DTL "Out of the jungle and onto the big screen -- cult film from Thailand travels to U.S."] , "San Francisco Chronicle" (retrieved August 4, 2006).]

Awards

* 2004 Cannes Film Festival - Jury Prize
* 2004 São Paulo International Film Festival - Critics Award
* 2005 Indianapolis International Film Festival - Special Jury Prize for Directing

Also, it was ranked 49th on They Shoot Pictures, Don't They's list of the 250 best films of the 21st century and was rated the 3rd best film of 2005 by Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez.

References

External links

* [http://www.kickthemachine.com/works/tropical_malady.html Official site at Kick the Machine]
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* [http://www.thaifilmdb.com/en/tt00416 "Tropical Malady" at the Thai Film Database]
* Available on Second Run DVD http://www.secondrundvd.com

###@@@KEY@@@###succession box
title=Jury Prize, Cannes
years=2004
before="At Five in the Afternoon"
after="Shanghai Dreams"