Tropical Malady

Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul. 2004, 118 mins. 35mm print courtesy of UCLA Film and Television Archives. In Thai with English subtitles. With Banlop Lomnoi, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Huai Dessom. “Blissfully beyond categorization, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s breathtaking Tropical Malady is a sui generis romance told in two parts: a gentle courtship between two men that transforms into a mind-altering tale of a soldier stalked by a shaman in the form of a tiger. Mysterious on just about every level possible, Apichatpong explores the complicated nuances of desire through this magical and haunting parable, where playful evasiveness eventually gives way to total surrender. Come for the love story, stay for the talking monkey.”—Michael Palmieri