Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s difficult, enigmatic and beautiful Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” has landed a U.S. distribution deal.
The film, simply described as a story that “follow[s] a man spending his final days surrounded by loved ones in the countryside” is much more than appears on the surface. Negotiating the line between reality and dream, ‘Uncle Boonme’ is a meditative film that speaks in metaphor and suggestion about the current state of Thailand. As we noted in our review from Cannes, the film is difficult to embrace completely, but it’s also unlike anything we’ve seen so far this year (or are likely to see). We’re glad to see there is still room for challenging, artistic work.
Unfortunately, the wait for this one will be a while. The film will hit theaters via Strand Releasing but not until spring 2011. And speaking of films getting distribution: what is going on with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s “Biutiful”?