Blissfully Yours

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's work outside the strict studio system as well as his experimens with elements found in Thai television and radio programs, comics and old films, is easily traced in his films. His previous movies have mixed documentary with fiction, something that is clearly perceptible in Blissfully Yours. The film comments on the problems arising in today's Thailand due to the increased amount of illegal immigrants from Burma, crossing the border in hope of work and better living standards. With an almost documentary feel, the film focuses on the love between Burmese immigrant Min and Thai girl Roong. Their simple caring has a counterpart in the erotic passion between the middle-aged woman Orn and her secret lover. Both couples need to flee civilization to be able to express their strong feelings. Some serious love-making takes place during the time we get to follow their escapades out in the jungle. The slow, almost meditative pace in this romantic drama creates a dynamic contrast between the two couples' feelings, which are not always shown but are certainly boiling underneath the surface. Blissfully Yours won the Un Certain Regard Award at the Cannes Film Festival this year. SOFIA BULL