The last time I wrote about the films of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, I suggested that his films constituted a challenge to the critic. A reminder, if you will, that as cinematic expression evolves, so too must the tools of the critic. Indeed, most of the critical reaction to the Thai-film-maker’s work has tended to emphasise either [...]
Entries Tagged as ‘Weerasethakul’
December 25, 2009
Syndromes and a Century (2006) – Repetition and Change
The role of a critic is a somewhat paradoxical one. At times of universal agreement over aesthetic principles, the critic serves as a guard dog. A martinet. Forever wielding his rhetorical staff to smack down those who refuse or fail to toe the line. Like Robert McKee we point solemnly to Aristotle’s Poetics and wearily [...]
November 4, 2009
Tropical Malady (2004) – The Hunter Hunted
One of the joys of discovering other cultures is realising, in a somewhat Whiggish manner, where they stand on the public debates that fill the public sphere of one’s own country. What are their attitudes towards gay marriage? Do they still assume that everyone will get married and have kids? Do they have a similar [...]
