Cemetery of Splendour


Cemetery of Splendour is a 2015 Thai drama film written, produced, and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The plot revolves around a spreading epidemic of sleeping sickness where spirits appear to the stricken and hallucination becomes indistinguishable from reality. The epidemic is a metaphor for personal and Thai social issues. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Plot

Soldiers suffering from a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic set up in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jen as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng, who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose soldiers. Doctors explore various methods, including colored light therapy, to ease the soldiers' troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt's cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers' enigmatic syndrome and a mythic ancient site beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen's path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

Cast

  • Banlop Lomnoi as Itt
  • Jenjira Pongpas as Jenjira
  • Jarinpattra Rueangram as Keng
  • Petcharat Chaiburi as Nurse Tet

Release

Cemetery of Splendour premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 97% approval rating based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Cemetery of Splendour gracefully eludes efforts to pin down its meaning while offering patient viewers another gently hypnotic wonder from writer/director Apichatpong Weerasethakul." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Year-end lists

Cemetery of Splendour was ranked 5th in the Sight & Sound 20 best films of 2015, and 2nd in the Cahiers du Cinémas 2015 Top Ten chart.