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      Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

      Released Mar 2, 2011 1h 54m Fantasy List
      90% 103 Reviews Tomatometer 61% 10,000+ Ratings Audience Score Afflicted with kidney disease, Uncle Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) is preparing himself for death. He has assembled his relatives in the countryside, convinced he will die within a few days. The ghost of his wife appears and offers guidance on his journey into the beyond, while his estranged son materializes in the guise of a jungle creature. Surrounded by his loved ones, Uncle Boonmee reflects on memories of his past lives, and he decides he must visit a special place before he goes. Read More Read Less Watch on Fandango at Home Premiered Aug 29 Buy Now

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      Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives

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      Critics Consensus

      Languorous and deeply enigmatic, Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee represents an original take on the ghosts that haunt us.

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      Audience Reviews

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      Leaburn O A good ending can't rescue us from the unbearable boredom of the preceding hour and forty minutes. Can't understand who on earth watches this and gives it five stars. The acclaim from critics is inexplicable to me. Had it on DVD for a long time and finally picked it up to watch. Wish I hadn't. Usually Palme D'Or winners are either great or awful and this one sits in the latter camp. Trust the audience reviews on RT over the critics on this one. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 10/18/23 Full Review Dave S Just to be clear from the get-go, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives probably isn't for everyone. The premise is pretty straightforward – Uncle Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) suffers from a kidney ailment and understands that his death is imminent. From there, things get weird. There is the spirit of his wife to contend with, as well as the fact that his long-missing son has returned to the fold as a hairy, fiery-eyed monkey-like man. And then there is the catfish fornicating with a princess, which really has to be seen to be believed. In typical Weerasethakul fashion, it is beautifully shot (much of it feels like an Ozu film) and is filled with interesting ideas and themes. There is also a lot that is left for the audience to interpret, which will undoubtedly leave much of the film's audience frustrated. If you like things tied up with a neat bow, avoid the whole Uncle Boonmee experience. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/09/23 Full Review j s Ridiculously beautiful film. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Uncle Bone-me Who can recall his past lives.. also could not receive a single star rating. Why? Because there were far too many flaws to recount them all. Aside from its poor production value, lack of lighting and ridiculous costumes this film had nothing of value to offer . The insanity to justify relations with animals or familiar spirits was downright perverse. The storyline itself lacked rationality and basic common sense. The characters were dull, boring and emotionless . What a waste of time this production is cannot be expressed in a politically correct statement.Hence I refuse to acknowledge it. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member For casual viewers as well as those unfamiliar with the works of Weerasethakul, "Uncle Boonmee" may prove a daunting, alienating, or even downright prohibitive experience. In the simplest terms, the film is atmospheric to the point that it may lull the unsuspecting viewer into a near catatonic state; for others, the panoramic beauty of the jungle's sights and sound will induce a hypnotic reverie that edges one away from their sense of time. The film proceeds slowly and naturally on an even pitch that draws you into a world more than it provides ready entertainment, yet the experience is so unique, so replete with mystical qualities, that never before has a cinematic world felt so teeming with life. Indeed, the sounds of the jungle assume a new meaning in the context of cultural associations that we sense but don't entirely understand, and we feel adrift in an exotic faerie tale world that borrows so readily from reality and myth that eventually we can't tell which is which. Within the context of a story emphasizing one man's approaching mortality against a backdrop of uniquely Thai metaphysical concepts, Weerasethakul stuns us by also managing to weave in references to Thai cinema as well as a cleverly understated commentary on Thai culture and foreboding implications for its future. In short, "Uncle Boonmee" opens the door to an experience of cinema that relates as much to the Thai worldview as to Weerasethakul's own, and it is up to us to determine our own take on this endlessly mysterious material. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member At a superficial level, the movie may feel oddly paced and somewhat disjointed. But relax into its rhythm and it renders a haunting, mysterious, and moving reflection on mortality and transformation. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

      View All (103) Critics Reviews
      Chuck Stephens Film Comment Magazine Magical, baffling, mirthful, sublime -- it’s everything it’s cracked up to be. Nov 7, 2013 Full Review John Hartl Seattle Times Weerasethakul's sincerity is evident, though the film's meditative pace and vague philosophical undertones will not be for everyone. Rated: 2.5/4 Jun 16, 2011 Full Review Tom Long Detroit News This is a film that wants to be interesting, and it certainly is that. Whether you want to dine with the ghost and the monkey-man or not, they bring a new perspective to the table. Rated: B Apr 29, 2011 Full Review Dave Giannini InSession Film If you have the patience to let Uncle Boonmee unfold and surround you, you will experience something great and truly illuminating and gratifying. Feb 20, 2024 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia Weerasethakul confirms that cinema as an art is still alive and, to prove it, he transforms this film into a dazzling and hypnotic experience that is very difficult to forget. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 8/10 Feb 10, 2024 Full Review Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” is a gateway to another world; it exists in the space between life and death, between past and present, between reality and fantasy. Oct 27, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis Afflicted with kidney disease, Uncle Boonmee (Thanapat Saisaymar) is preparing himself for death. He has assembled his relatives in the countryside, convinced he will die within a few days. The ghost of his wife appears and offers guidance on his journey into the beyond, while his estranged son materializes in the guise of a jungle creature. Surrounded by his loved ones, Uncle Boonmee reflects on memories of his past lives, and he decides he must visit a special place before he goes.
      Director
      Apichatpong Weerasethakul
      Screenwriter
      Apichatpong Weerasethakul
      Distributor
      Strand Releasing
      Genre
      Fantasy
      Original Language
      Thai
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Mar 2, 2011, Limited
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 10, 2017
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $183.6K
      Runtime
      1h 54m
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