Syndromes and a Century

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Syndromes and a Century, 2006, 105 mins, 35mm, colour, original version with French subtitles Thailand / Austria / France,  
With Nantarat Sawaddikul, Jaruchai Iamaram, Sakda Kaewbuadee 
Selected for the 2006 Venice International Film Festival 

"Apichatpong Weerasethakul has dropped his camera into a pocket of time. He himself admits that this film is an ode to memory, that he made it to see to what extent memories of an era we never knew, that of our parents for example (his were doctors at a hospital in a small town in north-east Thailand), remain and are reincarnated in us: our beliefs about ourselves and our actions are merely the ghosts of the actions of our elders. Weerasethakul's sentimental Buddhism wants everything to repeat itself, but he also points out that, in such repetition, there is loss, the lingering smell of a corpse - no matter how sweet that smell may be.” Philippe Azoury, Libération, 13 June 2007 

Preceded by 

Apichatpong Weerasethakul, The Anthem, 2006, 5 mins, DCP, colour, original version with French subtitles 
Before a film is screened in Thailand, the royal anthem is played to pay tribute to the king. This short film gives a blessing to the movie that follows it.