Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2011)
77%RT Audience Score: 60%
Awards & Nominations: 11 wins & 25 nominations
Languorous and deeply enigmatic, Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee represents an original take on the ghosts that haunt us
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is like a trippy dream that you can’t quite explain but can’t stop thinking about. It’s a slow burn, but the payoff is worth it. Weerasethakul’s unique vision and Buddhist philosophy make for a truly one-of-a-kind viewing experience. Plus, who doesn’t love a good monkey-man ghost dinner party?
Production Company(ies)
Charles K. Feldman Group Warner Bros.,
Distributor
Strand Releasing
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Thailand
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
2010
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby SR Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 54m
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Language(s):Thai, French, Lao
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Country of origin:Thailand
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Mar 2, 2011 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 12, 2011
Genre(s)
Fantasy
Keyword(s)
Fantasy, Thai, Palme d’Or, ghosts, kidney disease, death, countryside, relatives, ghost of wife, jungle creature, memories, past lives, special place, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Simon Field, Keith Griffiths, Thanapat Saisaymar, Jenjira Pongpas, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong, Wallapa Mongkolprasert, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, written by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, produced by Simon Field, Keith Griffiths, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, reviewed by Chuck Stephens, John Hartl, Tom Long, Ben Sachs, Justin Chang, Maggie Lee, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Thanapat Saisaymar, Natthakarn Aphaiwonk, Geerasak Kulhong, Wallapa Mongkolprasert, $183.6K box office, Strand Releasing, MPAA rating, transformation, extinction, Buddhist philosophy, multiple paths, diverging paths, reincarnation, Isan region, Nabua, Nakhon Phanom, Laos, Tarkovsky, humans and nature, dirty war, pesticides, insects, catfish, waterfall
Worldwide gross: $1,214,424
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,650,872
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,464
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 180,030
US/Canada gross: $184,292
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $250,524
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,498
US/Canada opening weekend: $23,540
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $32,000
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,349
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jenjira Pongpas – Jen
Thanapat Saisaymar – Boonmee
Natthakarn Aphaiwonk – Huay
Geerasak Kulhong – Boonsong
Wallapa Mongkolprasert – Princess
Director(s)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Writer(s)
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Producer(s)
Simon Field, Keith Griffiths, Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
11 wins & 25 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (100) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (89) | Rotten (11)
A film about recurrent visions and round-trip journeys: a movie not just about previous incarnations but about the possibilities of multiple and diverging paths into the future and out of the past
November 7, 2013
Chuck Stephens
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Weerasethakul’s sincerity is evident, though the film’s meditative pace and vague philosophical undertones will not be for everyone.
June 16, 2011 | Rating: 2.5/4
John Hartl
Seattle Times
TOP CRITIC
This is a film that wants to be interesting, and it certainly is that. Whether you want to dine with the ghost and the monkey-man or not, they bring a new perspective to the table.
April 29, 2011 | Rating: B
Tom Long
Detroit News
TOP CRITIC
As is to be expected, Weerasethakul frequently abandons the story for trancelike contemplations of nature, but never before in his work has the device felt more purposeful.
April 29, 2011
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
While the result is pretty much the definition of a film that should be experienced, not explained, there’s no sense here that Weerasethakul is being difficult for difficult’s sake, or even attempting to conceal his mysteries.
April 29, 2011
Justin Chang
Variety
TOP CRITIC
It playfully invokes both the lifestyle and animistic beliefs of the Northeast country folk, and the primitive magic of early Thai cinema, relating both of these to his musings on reincarnation.
April 29, 2011
Maggie Lee
Hollywood Reporter
TOP CRITIC
Episode 50: Heart of Glass / Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives / Sunset
October 18, 2021 | Rating: 64/100
Taylor Baker
Drink in the Movies
Uncle Boonmee is expression of an artist whose ingrained Buddhist philosophy and formative experiences which have shaped him into who he is.
March 21, 2021
Dustin Chang
Floating World
There is a singular quality to Weerasethakul’s work that cannot be mistaken. He is a man with a vision, a true auteur, each film bearing his indelible stamp, a kind of hushed beauty that seems transfixed in time.
August 5, 2019 | Rating: 4/4
Mattie Lucas
From the Front Row
Weerasethakul’s intelligently-placed injections of humor prove the perfect foil to some of his the film’s more melancholic scenes, successfully lifting Uncle Boonmee from the realms of despair and anguish towards hope and rebirth.
November 6, 2018 | Rating: 5/5
Daniel Green
CineVue
No one else is making films this exciting and challenging.
March 7, 2018
Steve Erickson
Gay City News
Leaving his traditionally bifurcated structures behind, Apitchatpong Weerasethakul plunges even further into the realm of tropical surrealism, tapping into parallel realities and past lives with a delicate restraint that is all his own.
October 4, 2017
Derek Smith
Tiny Mix Tapes…
Plot
Uncle Boonmee, afflicted with kidney disease, prepares for death and reflects on memories of his past lives while surrounded by his loved ones, including the ghost of his wife and his estranged son in the guise of a jungle creature, before embarking on a journey to a special place.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Nothing to add here about Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
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