This film was released 1st December 2010, and is no longer screening.

We’re pleased to host the Irish premiere of Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the Palme d’or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival. This is the latest feature by Thai filmmaker and artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who will attend the screening and be the subject of a film retrospective (at the IFI) and an exhibition (at IMMA) next year.

Although more straightforward in its storytelling than Apichatpong’s earlier films (Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century), Uncle Boonmee… is still a mysterious and haunting account of the last days in the life of its title character. Preparing for his earthly demise, Boonmee is visited by relatives and ghosts, both human and animal, as he recalls episodes from his past. Animism, apparitions, out-of-body experiences and sex with a catfish are all featured in Apichatpong’s otherworldly fable, which reveals a generous vision that sees the possibility of regeneration in the threat of extinction.

Preview courtesy of New Wave Films, London. (Uncle Boonmee… opens at the IFI in November.)