Tropical Malady

This is a film that shifts gears on you suddenly and dives headlong into its own mysticism. Apichatpong's films have the qualities of a dream but in this one it's clear that he's spinning a contemporary variation of a folk tale. There are some great inspired scenes in this..especially with the spirit realm of the forest and the joyful motorcycle ride after the soldier's interlude with his lover. It's a surreal meditation which explores love, sexuality, and mysticism without kitsch.

Differentiating itself from a standard dichotomy of good and evil, to instead, once again, use multiple realities and themes, e.g. a traumatic, military history, forbidden love, the animalistic, 'sensitive' soul, 'revenge' and 'surrendering', to name a few, and have them clash with each other, seeking as Weerasethakul always does for reconciliation, paving a path forward.

The first half has a bit of a WKW style, though a much rawer feel that doesn't quite match the reliance on mood and striking visuals, but I still quite enjoyed it. The second half really didn't work for me, though. Yeah the visual style is great, but it's not enough, or maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. I couldn't get a feel of where it was going and the bits of poetry were uninteresting to me.

For the first time, I feel like one of Joe's films clicked for me in an organic way. I found the editing to be the star here. No shot overstays its welcome and no cut draws attention to itself. It sounds simple, but it's crucial to maintaining the meditative tone it intends. The at once contrasting and synonymous dual-story structure creates an active viewing experience. Loved it.

İkinci yarısı böyle olan bir filmi cidden nasıl beğendiniz aq. türkler allah kitap bi film yapsa söversiniz. ülkenin ateisti bile aptallaşmış iyice.

I feel as though that Weerasethakul is easily one of the most important filmmakers in recent history, mainly because he is one of the only directors and storytellers in film that I see pushing narrative to its extreme, while testing the audience's boundaries of perception. I haven't seen a filmmaker so effortlessly evoke a bizarre sense of hallucinatory, oneiric splendor in recent times, and between this film and Uncle Boonmee, Weerasethakul has certainly become one of my favorite directors.

Enjoyed 'Syndromes and a Century', but found this to oscillate between the needlessly obtuse and the banal. I do appreciate someone who attempts such a unique approach to filmmaking but, unfortunately, the idea of watching this one again is rather unpleasant.

What an endlessly mysterious and haunting film. Like Syndromes, its bifurcated structure presents contrasting halves, but this one's narrative is more linear and tangible (though no less fascinating for it). The mystical treatment of love and longing, combined with the superstitious folk-tale influences, make for an elusive yet strongly compelling story. The jungle photography is magnificent; some of the film's nighttime shots are awe-inspiring.

i wasn't ready...

you've got to let that tiger devour you

Unique, unforgettable, and offering much food for thought.

Some amazing moments in each section, but overall it didn't connect with me like Weerasethakul's other works. The second part really plods along, with lots of trudging through the jungle. And it's a bit harder for me to relate to a homosexual relationship than a hetero one. It's handled respectfully and has some sweetness to it, but it makes it tougher for me to get invested. Still, Weerasethakul is incapable of making an uninteresting film, and his flair for the unusual is always appreciated.

Fascinating and demanding, a cinema of passion...

Absolutely bewitching. The first half is arguably more enjoyable than the second half but I cannot picture this film with just the normal love story by itself. I have some ideas about what it all means but all that matters is that after I had watched I felt dizzy with thought. Not a lot of movies do that.

Others disagree, but for me the first half was a bit too close to schmaltz and the second seemed a bit too much like a single idea was being stretched to breaking point. It's undoubtedly less conventional than the previous sentence might make it sound, and there is the question of how the two halves of the story relate to each other, but I’m not sure that answering that question would do the film any favours. Still, it’s nice when the guy turns his flashlight onto the tree and the tiger appears.

Tropical Malady is a unique and thought-provoking film that requires a patient and intuitive approach from the viewer. It deserves props for its ability to create a captivating world that is steeped in metaphysical abstraction, despite its potential frustrations for some viewers. The film's romantic and poetic moments, such as the idea of a lover as both prey and companion, make it a memorable experience.

When you think of movies about humanity’s primal nature you usually have a specific idea in mind, right? Quite violent and hyper-masculine. Well, here’s a movie that speaks to that concept while also being a wonderful spiritual tender enigma. Ain’t no malady like a tropical malady, cos a tropical malady has TIGERS.

Mystifying as ever. As others have stated there are very clear parallels to WKW's films both in style and structure. But Weerasethakul's hypnotic implementation of spiritual folklore in the 2nd half was transcendent.

This might have just caught me in the wrong mood, but it did absolutely nothing for me. I found the first half kind of mundane and the second half GLACIALLY slow. I couldn't wait for it to be over. The technical aspects often seemed kind of amateurish as well. For instance, luckily it was subtitled so it wasn't a huge issue, but a lot of the sound levels seemed way off, like the dialogue was barely audible while other sounds and music were normal. Not for me, at least today.

about being a gay tiger

Em honra do meio século de vida que Apichatpong Weerasethakul está completando. Esse é o meu favorito do diretor, o que mais gosto dele é seu estilo e capacidade de sair da mesmice, embora bem diferente acho que seu equivalente no ocidente talvez seja o Pedro Costa, num nível de contemplação que nos tira da zona de conforto, não por acaso permanecem dois dos maiores autores do século XXI. DVDRip no MakingOff.

It's hard to put into words what makes Weerasethakul's movies special, but one thing is that there's something about his extremely effective sound design that is really unique.

Star Rating: ★★★1/2

I find myself enjoying Joe's films a lot more upon reflection than I do at the time.

No one else so evocatively captures the simultaneous immediacy and transcendence of time and place.

Sleep inducing. I guess the second part of the movie was a metaphorical interpretation of the first love story part, but for me it lacked wieght and substance.

Once again there is a fascination from the auteur here with dualities, the film cut in two down the middle, the second half with its dreamy, otherwordly actualisation of a fantastical tale proving the perfect way to express the longing, lust and emotions that are shown and half-repressed between the two male leads in the modern, earthy reality in the first half.

I never really engaged with the second part of this movie for some reason. Maybe it is because I really really dug the first part and wished that could have just gone on longer.

#982

09 ocak 11 & ilk bolum toplum icinde asklarini bulup tutunmaya calisan escinsel cifti, ormandaki bolum ise tamamn icsel bir yolculugu anlatiyor.ozune, kendisine ve cinseligni kesfetmeye bir kaplanin pesindn giden askern hikayesi.kaplana ulastiginda, aslinda kendisine ve gercek cinsel kimligine ulasiyor. bir insanin escinselligini kabullenis oykusu. filmn basinda ormandaki olu adam bu kendini kesfedis surecini atlatamayn ve kaplanin izinde kendini kabullenemeyerek olen kisi-tamamn icsel bir olum.

"Apichatpong Weerasethakul beautifully evokes the existential fiber between sexual desire and cultural myth." - Ed Gonzalez

Weerasethakul make us walk in the line between dream and life, like the first and second half of the film, but that is the point I am really surprised; I can't decide which one is dream or life...

What makes it so interesting for the audience is the poisoning narrative, blending surrealism and realism. Apichatpong is creating a whole new cinema experience, I guess, and a very sensitive and unusual one.

A strange two-part film in which the first hour shows us a love affair between a young soldier and a local boy who mysteriously disappears into the woods, and the second hour--featuring the same actors--shows us a soldier in the forest tracking a shape-shifting shaman in tiger form. Is the second story a continuation of the first? A commentary upon it? it is up to the viewer to decide, but doing so will inevitably involve meditating on the nature of love, passion, animal and human identity.

A duology whose restraint and lax naturalism verge on the insubstantial. Both segments are subtle in some ways and obstinately repetitive in others. The second segment, unless read as a metaphor of the first (a very plausible reading), is somewhat more interesting than the first.

Sensory cinema, which I dig, to the point that trying to put this flick into words is almost betraying its spirit, but the average movie-goer will feel taxed, likely beyond their ability to cope. Absolutely gorgeous, organic imagery, but sadly I did not connect with it as others obviously have. I fear I'm missing quite a bit. The second half had some genuine terror and I thought was the stronger of the "dual film", but understand that the two stories mirror each other (through different lenses).

"[a] haunting masterpiece..."

I love the ideas presented, love the direction and how the forest is a living breathing thing. Love how daring this film is. A top 5 fave.

The two units by themselves are fantastic. Whether they make up one cohesive whole is a different story.