Syndromes and a Century: a film by Apichatpong Weerasethakul April 13, 2007

Syndromes and a Century
by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (2006, 105 min, 35 mm)
Fri, Apr 13 & Sat, Apr 14, 7 & 9 pm; Sun, Apr 15, 4 & 7 pm
$8 regular, $6 seniors, students & teachers
$6 YBCA Members

Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul (aka “Joe”) spent a week at YBCA in 2005, and anyone who attended the screenings knows how extraordinary this filmmaker is, and how his work is a virtual reinvention of cinema. His sublime new film explores memory; and how our sense of happiness can be triggered by seemingly insignificant things. The film is split into two parts, which sometimes echo each other.

The two central characters are inspired by the filmmaker’s parents, in the years before they became lovers. The first part focuses on a woman doctor, the second part focuses on a male doctor, set in different spaces. The plot summary is essentially meaningless. The film is far less concerned with telling a story than quietly observing fragments of memories and meditating on abstract scenarios. A funny and strangely spiritual work, it somehow reaches the very deepest feelings in the viewer with grace and beauty.

Official Website: http://www.ybca.org