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M+, Hong Kong, © Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong Weerasethakul 阿比查邦．韋拉斯塔古
A Letter to Uncle Boonmee 給波米叔叔的信
2009
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s 2009 short film A Letter to Uncle Boonmee takes place in Nabua, a Thai village on the Mekong River, bordering Laos. As the film begins, the camera meanders inside several derelict houses. Two men, one after the other, recite a letter from the artist to his uncle. The letter discusses the film itself: how Weerasethakul wants to see a movie about Boonmee’s life, but wonders if the setting he has found in Nabua is realistic. The scene shifts to soldiers digging between the homes. A strange oval emits smoke nearby, while a few soldiers rest. The camera strays to the surrounding forest, where it captures a mysterious figure, a spirit house, and a cow.
Though quiet, the soldiers recall a violent past. As the letter describes, Nabua was once occupied by the military; its villagers were tortured and ultimately fled. The work fuses Weerasethakul’s own memory and imagination with this historical experience, exploring the idea of reincarnation by telling a story at another unrelated site. Weerasethakul further developed this enigmatic theme in his subsequent work, the award-winning 2010 feature film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
Though quiet, the soldiers recall a violent past. As the letter describes, Nabua was once occupied by the military; its villagers were tortured and ultimately fled. The work fuses Weerasethakul’s own memory and imagination with this historical experience, exploring the idea of reincarnation by telling a story at another unrelated site. Weerasethakul further developed this enigmatic theme in his subsequent work, the award-winning 2010 feature film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
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