Tropical Malady

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady (2004) is divided into two sections. One is set in modern world and it is closely in touch with reality, but the other handles fantasy and mythology in a peculiar way. These two separate stories are mostly connected by their focus on desire and both of them portray only one central relationship. The first segment is the story of a soldier (Banlop Lomnoi) falls in love with a country boy (Sakda Kaewbuadee) who seems to give some sort of affection in return, but it is never specified if it is love. The second segment focuses on a Thai myth in which a soldier chases a tiger in the jungle.

It is interesting how Weerasethakul creates a "discussion" between these two stories. This active connection between the two stories makes them a bit deeper and more fascinating. It is interesting to see the similarities in the central relationships (soldier+country boy, soldier+tiger). Weerasethakul throws in some distracting elements, like a cautionary tale in the first segment, and the awkward bits of mythology in second one. While the mythology serves as one of the key factors to support the segment's elements of fantasy, it is too vocally pointed at without it being a major element. It even reaches (unintentionally?) comical levels when a monkey starts speaking and offers some proper advice for the soldier. This film left me a bit puzzled: in a way, I could appreciate it for its poetic approach, but it isnt completely solid in that aspect.

Weerasethakul's form consists of long, static shots and usually there is no music to accompany the cinematography. Tropical Malady makes a few exceptions in the first segment: it includes a few off-beat sequences filled with music, and there are a few occasions in which the camera moves a lot. While the cinematography isnt necessarily great in Tropical Malady, its use of sound is brilliant. The silence is effective, and in the second segment the jungle literally becomes alive. It is a great sensory experience.

Typical Malady is a nice experimental film, but in the end it is uneven and lacks the finishing touch.

Score: 6 out of 10