Tropical Malady (Thai: สัตว์ประหลาà¸" or Sud pralad; RTGS: Satpralat; lit. "monster") is a 2004 Thai romantic psychological drama film directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. It is a film in two segments â€" the first part a romance between two 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. It is also the first Thai film to win a prize at any of the "A festivals".
Synopsis
Keng (played by Banlop Lomnoi), is a soldier 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 (played by 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 isolated 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.
In Thailand, the film screened for just 10 days at the Siam Theatre.
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
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 third best film of 2005 by Slant Magazine's Ed Gonzalez.
See also
- List of Thai films
- Nudity in film (East Asian cinema since 1929)
References
External links
- Official site at Kick the Machine
- Sud pralad at the Internet Movie Database
- Tropical Malady at AllMovie
- Tropical Malady at Rotten Tomatoes
- Tropical Malady at the Thai Film Database
- Available on Second Run DVD http://www.secondrundvd.com
