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Syndromes and a Century
Country:Thailand
Director:Apichatpong Weerasthakul
Program:Contemporary World Cinema
Year:
2006
Summary:
This ‘story’ involves two doctors - a woman working in a rural clinic and a man working in a big-city hospital - and their various encounters with patients, lovers and colleagues. Often, a scene is enacted a second time, in an entirely different setting and from an opposing angle creating confusion on the part of the viewer. But it is style, rather than plot, that is of primary importance here. The film is comprised almost entirely of beautifully composed and rigorously sustained medium and long shots, with few close-ups, very little camera movement and only minimal editing within scenes. Even though we may not always fully aware of what is going on, we are lulled by the seductive, hypnotic rhythms of the film-making.
