THE FESTIVAL OF DEMON SPIRIT (2011, Sittiporn Racha, A++++++++++)

FILMS SEEN IN THE POSTCARD CINEMA PROJECT:

1.THE FESTIVAL OF DEMON SPIRIT (งานนักขัตฤกษ์ของภูตพราย) (2011, Sittiporn Racha, A++++++++++)
The film seems to be composed of found footage, audio clips, and text. In the first scene we see a traditional Thai dance from the past, while we hear the sound from an international sports competition, in which the commentator is obviously cheering for Thailand. This scene reminds me of something I hate in Thailand—the fact that traditional things and sports are highly regarded by the powerful people in Thailand, while arts and creativity are not only ignored, but they are also considered as detrimental to national security in some cases.

In the second scene we see a massacre happening somewhere, and we seems to hear something from a massacre happening in Thailand.

In the third scene we see some found footage from Thailand in the past, maybe 30-50 years ago, including a shot of the Democracy Monument. We hear a sound bite of a politician. I'm not sure.

What does this film mean? I don't know. But I would like to screen it together with some films by Jean-Luc Godard, Alexander Kluge, Harun Farocki, and Arthur Lipsett.


2.THREE KINGS (2011, Taiki Sakpisit, A++++++++++)
The film starts with a scene of a male boxer sweating and bleeding. In the second scene we see a man giving a sacred cloth to the boxer to wear on his head, and also giving him a neck garland. The sacred cloth in this scene unintentionally reminds me of a crown. The third scene, which is about four minutes long, is about a brown squirrel which seems to be watching a boxing match.

The sound effect in THREE KINGS is as stunning as WHISPERING GHOSTS (2008, Taiki Sakpisit).

I have no idea what THREE KINGS means. How does this film make me feel? This film unintentionally makes me yearn to be the squirrel in the film, because it doesn't take part in the fight, in the bleeding, in the hurting or getting hurt, in the winning or losing. It just watches the fight from afar.


3.GLORY HOLE (เบื่อควย) (2011, Chaisiri Jiwarangsan, A+)
The film seems to contain one scene repeating three times. It's the scene of a boat sailing in front of a group of high-rise buildings which are being constructed amidst the rain. The text accompanying the scene changes each time the scene is repeated. The text in the first scene makes me think about a young girl. The text in the second scene makes me think about a romantic woman. The text in third scene makes me think about a hurtful woman.

I would like to screen this film together with some films by Jean-Marie Straub which have repeated scenes, or with MARILYN TIMES FIVE (1973, Bruce Conner), which also has repeated scenes, or with YOU AND ME PUT THE 'YOU' AND 'ME' IN 'YOU AND ME' (2010, Chi Too, Malaysia), which also has scenes of nearly empty landscape. :-)