It is often said while watching movies. Apichatpong Weerasethakul It’s like living a dream. His is a cinema where time seems to stand still, the boundaries between human, animal and plant are blurred, the everyday is mystical and the everyday is mystical, and alternative planes of existence are opened. What we don’t fully understand. ‘Memory’ is the Thai director’s first fiction film in a country and language that does not belong to him, but for the rest it is closely linked to all the others, from ‘Tropical Sickness’ (2004) to ‘Graveyard of Glory’. ‘ (2015) through ‘Uncle Boonmee Remembering Their Past Lives’ (2010). Accompanying a woman who journeys into the heart of the forest to find the source of a sound that only she has heard – Tilda Swinton is responsible for interpreting it – the film proceeds with an extraordinary sound design. immerse us in something akin to a state of hypnosis.
What role does memory play in your work as a filmmaker?
I have a very bad memory, I always forget everything. One of the reasons I make films is to leave witness to personal visions that would otherwise be lost. Making movies is creating collective memories. And sharing them together in a dark room is a way to empathize and understand how connected we are.
In ‘Memoria’, as in many of his previous films, there are several scenes involving sleeping people. why?
Thinking about someone sleeping creates a great moment of intimacy. The sleeper is defenseless, defenseless, so our ancestors went into caves to do this. I hope viewers of my movie find these scenes comforting. And if some viewers fall asleep for a while watching it or watching my movies in general, that’s fine with me. Traditional cinema does everything possible to keep our eyes wide open. I prefer to open the door for the public to live their dreams.
Do your dreams while you sleep inspire your movies?
My dreams are more narratively structured than my films. But in any case, I’m very fascinated by dream logic, and I’ve actually kept a personal diary of my dreams for years. The visual language of dreams is closely related to that of cinema. And the sleep cycles we experience when we sleep last about an hour and a half each, which is the average length of a movie.
The protagonist of ‘Memory’ suffers from what is known as exploding head syndrome. Is it true that you suffer too?
Yes, it was the inspiration for the movie. During one of my trips to Colombia, I started to hear an inner voice like a big ‘explosion’. I don’t know how to describe it. Usually in the morning, for a while, I would hear it every five or ten minutes. It wasn’t painful, but it was so frustrating that I couldn’t explain it. Doctors said it might be stress, but I never found out. I don’t remember exactly when it disappeared.
Also like some of his cinema Above, ‘Memory’ includes the following elements: Science fiction. Where does your interest in the genre come from?
From my childhood. Science fiction was a very important part of my education because in the 1980s novels in this genre began to be translated into Thai on a massive scale. I never stopped reading Asimov and Bradbury. In his time, I was very impressed with the films of George Lucas and especially Steven Spielberg, especially the films ‘Third Kind Encounters’ and ‘ET The Extra Terrestrial’. It should be noted that I grew up in a country where the animist belief persists that ghosts and spirits influence the lives of people, animals and objects.
What similarities did you find between them? Colombia and Thailand?
Both countries are trying to overcome the past, but they are stuck in it. Thailand is experiencing a complicated political situation, many people were killed or disappeared by the military regime and those responsible for these crimes are in the authorities. Colombia has experienced similar periods in its history. However, I have told myself from the beginning that I am not the person to make a political film about a country that is not mine.
Can you make a political movie about Thailand?
The political situation in my country has been quite tense since the 2014 military coup and the current government is backed by the military. I couldn’t make the movie I wanted to make there; I can’t talk about the monarchy or the military, because doing so would get me in serious trouble, but at the same time, I felt there was no point in making a non-political film in Thailand. So I decided to shoot elsewhere. I suffer a lot for my country, but I also have hope. Young people are taking action and pushing for reforms. They will change something.
Source: Informacion
