Cemetery of Splendor (2016)

The Age of Commercialism

good film but with many flaws

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

"Cemetery of Splendour" is technically immaculate - perhaps the first thing to stand out is the framing; every shot involves near-flawless subject composition, and in such a way that the figures involved do not appear to be arranged in a way chosen specifically for the sake of the framing - instead, everything looks natural. However, with this said, the contents of the film, i.e. the people, only assume such a natural manner for as long as doing so serves the technical aspects of the film. When they do not, however, all naturalism flies out the window - characters seem stilted and awkward, and possess no fluidity or chemistry whatsoever. This same flaw applies to the writing as well - every conversation seems like inane small talk, and any attempt to introduce a weighty theme through conversation only seems like a sudden and clunky interjection, and the conversation still carries on in the same mundane manner. In regards to the themes - they are both daring and interesting. "Cemetery of Splendour" explores themes that are, overall, mystical in their evocation, yet the dull and sterile atmosphere in which they are introduced seems like a vacuum to what breath of life they may bring, and so the themes of the film are left hanging off forced conversations - stunted and immobile. The film also seems to be set in a world wherein mystical notions are so commonplace, that they are often swept amidst the numerous trivial things that happen within a day; machines that affect patients' dreams are advertised as though they were simply handy electronic tools, a dream-interpreter is pointed out by a nurse and described as "talented" as though her job weren't paranormal in the slightest, and the visiting of two deities is treated merely as an uncommon occurrence. The resultant effect is of a narrative that merely hovers about each theme without penetrating the surface, only including them rather than exploring. "Cemetery of Splendour" includes a few odd moments scattered throughout the film, likely in an attempt to spur thought. These include a scene where people, sitting and enjoying a view, play a seemingly spontaneous game of musical chairs, which reoccurs later on; a strange and idle creature floating in a lake, which the main character later recounts as though from a dream; a giant microbe floating through the sky; and a strange editing ploy, wherein an object in the water is examined from one angle, then suddenly examined from the other, creating a jarring and somewhat haphazard effect - this is executed near the beginning of the film, and repeated near the end; among other scenes. Perhaps these moments of strangeness tie in with the film's concluding notion - that the majority of the narrative is a dream co-experienced by two characters, and hence these odd episodes seek to fortify that notion. The film also seeks to tie in two of its overarching presences - the notion of a spiritual battlefield, situated on top of the very hospital that most of the film takes place in, and the continued digging operation conducted upon the hospital's grounds - perhaps the digging is in an attempt to uncover the bodies suspected to be buried there (after all, the film does make several references to "past lives," and it is suggested that the spiritual battle, although being present simultaneously in a seemingly metaphysical manner, is in fact the echo of an actual historical battle). This tie-in, as well as the narrative's initiation and conclusion as a mutual dream, are the only forms of closure within the film, and they are largely unsatisfying. The end result feels as though every dull and strained moment leading up to it was merely in service of something ultimately unrewarding, as fluff stuffing fabric. In addition to this, the director seeks to wield the film's arid style as though it were restraint, by including unprecedented close-ups of characters during some of the film's final scenes, as well as one occasion near the end where the camera moves about its axis - the only point in the film where it does. However, the moments where this restraint is supposed to pay off seem, much like the narrative conclusions, unsatisfying and ultimately a waste of what could've a far more suitable style for a film exploring heavily mystical and even metaphysical themes. Overall, while "Cemetery of Splendour" boosts astounding technical aspects - most notably its framing - and interesting themes often excluded from cinema, the film's lifeless and awkward execution provides no fertile ground for such themes to flourish, and hence the finished piece remains as more of a blueprint than a fully formed vision.

Round and round and round they go, the ceiling fans and pond aerators, like the dharmachakra wheel of the Buddha's law. Herself reborn from a previous life she remembers, Keng (Jarinpattra Rueangram) travels back and forth between here and the spirit world, effortlessly. And vice-versa: two goddesses enter the material world from the spirit one to drop by a cafe and chat with Jen (Jenjira Pongpas), one of their devotees, not forgetting to slip in a pitch for a skin cream. People enter a waterside park framed by a mostly stationary camera, where they sit at chairs for a few moments before suddenly getting up and walking out of the picture, their places soon taken by others, as if to hint at the ephemeral and cyclic nature of human existence. The past and the present coexist, and the macro- and microcosms meet as protozoa collide with clouds. Everything is interconnected and inter-affected in the Indra's net of director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's cinema.Sleeping and waking are, of course, another cycle. But in the village of Khon Kaen, this one has been disrupted among soldiers working in a construction project that happens to be sited over the tombs of ancient kings. Keng tells Jen that the souls of these kings have enlisted those of the soldiers in their fight by "sucking up all their energy" (in the Japanese subtitles) and using it to fuel their forces in the underworld battle. Hence the soldiers are left unconscious and in apparent sleep for days on end, sporadically waking for short spells. Hmmm.Despite the daydream flux (and sometimes somniferous effect) of his cinematography, this and other metaphors sprinkled into the mix by Weerasethakul in "Cemetery of Splendour" (the Thai title translates "Love in Khon Kaen," I'm told) have a wry and topical bite. In one initially baffling scene, the audience at a movie suddenly stand bolt upright and at attention, their eyes glued to the unseen screen. But why? It turns out that it is proper for them to do so when the "Royal Anthem" song extolling the Thai royal family is played (generally before movies) in theaters. But I understand that the anthem and accompanying footage are not allowed to be included within any movies of a merely entertaining nature. Thus we have the strange silence and only the blank faces of the members of the audience reacting to the footage in this, an "entertainment" movie. A little dig.As the audience leave the theater and ride the escalators down to the exit in a movie complex, we see others riding the up escalators on the opposite sides of the atrium separating them. Shot from the top of the atrium looking straight down, the four banks of escalators form a squarish revolving wheel peopled with moviegoers, spinning round and round, until the giant metallic chakra slowly fades into the hospital room where the soldiers are fast asleep, thereby fusing the two in our minds. Who are the real sleepers? Aren't we all asleep?In a 2016 interview with the Japanese art magazine "Bitecho," Weerasethakul expressed apprehensions about the course of his country and worries about its people, who he was afraid were "blindly" moving into the future. This statement clearly resonates with the admonition made to Jen toward the film's very end: open your eyes.I like where Weerasethakul is trying to take us with his cinema, and this intriguing blend of the pointed and the dreamlike would have received a higher rating from this reviewer if only all had come together a bit better.

I'd normally start a review by describing what I thought the basic plot of the movie was. In this case, to say Cemetery of splendor has a plot to follow or think about would be misleading. I am not exaggerating when I say that. I don't think I have ever seen a movie that didn't once seem to have any desire to invest me in its story.The performances, despite the actors having extremely minimal demands from the script, were stiff and unconvincing. The "characters" barely seem like real people, reacting to events and other characters robotically and undramatically. Virtually nothing of consequence happens to anybody the whole movie. The characters certainly don't act like it, and the whole experience comes off as disconnected and distant. There is no narrative thrust and nothing to connect to.The only positive thing I have to say about Cemetery of Splendor is it looks pretty. Most of the shots in the movie would make for very nice-looking stills. However, the movie holds on most of its shots long past necessary. Nothing is being communicated to the audience, and there is no important revelation to absorb, such as in movies directed by Steve Mcqueen, Micheal Haneke, Stanley Kubrick, or any number of directors that use long picturesque shots.If I were to sum up Cemetery of Splendor in a word, it would be unmemorable. It fails to entertain, emotionally involve, or intellectually stimulate. Unless you are looking to turn off your brain and stare at a series of pleasing images for two hours with some minimal ambiance, I would not recommend Cemetery of Splendor

I didn't vote for this movie with a lots of scores since it's not a movie suitable for all the people. I didn't mean there are some limited level stuff, but just not all the people can understand or just have the patience to understand the materials and the message this movie would want us to see. Well, frankly speaking, for this director, this movie is already easy and simple enough. Because this director really enjoy to tell a story in this kind of way and created an atmosphere mixed with both mystery and holy stuff. I think there just one part I would like to say and hope it is not count as spoiler. At the end of the movie , when the Keng and the old lady sit on the chair and Kend was licking her leg. My understanding about that is the spirit of the lady is already gone , which replaced by the Keng's spirit. And Keng's body is filled by the spirit of the man laying on the bed. They have some love issues with each other an that is why they are licking each other. That is just my perspective, hope people could understand and just take that as a comments .