TROPICAL MALADY aka SUD PRALAD

Year: 2004
USA: Strand Releasing
UK: ICA Projects
Cast: Banlop Lomnoi, Sakda Kaewbuadee, Huai Dessom, Sirivech Jareonchon, Udom Promma
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Countries: France / Thailand
Language: Thai (English subtitles)
USA & UK: 118 mins
UK Certificate: 12A contains sexual theme and drug references
USA Release Date: 22 July 2005 (Limited Release - Los Angeles)
USA Release Date: 13 May 2005 (Limited Release)
UK Release Date: 4 March 2005 (Limited Release - London)
US Distributor

Synopsis

Apitchatpong Weerasethakul is, arguably one of the brightest stars in Asian cinema. His films have won critical acclaim all over the world and TROPICAL MALADY is his fourth feature.

Winner of both the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival 2004 and the Grand Prize at fifth FILMeX festival in Tokyo, TROPICAL MALADY centres on a young soldier Keng and a country boy Tong. Their initial friendship intensifies into a love so strong it soon threatens to overwhelm them.

One evening just when everything seems perfect between the lovers, a mysterious accident occurs in their quiet village life and Tong inexplicably disappears. Some kind of beast has been slaughtering the livestock and local legend tells of a shaman able to take on the form of animals and that his spirit terrorizes visitors of the forest. Here begins the tale of a soldier travelling alone into the heart of the jungle, where myth is often real.

Shot in the jungles of north eastern Thailand, TROPICAL MALADY is two distinct stories, representing two very different worlds. Linked by the characters, the relationship of the stories is intriguing and symbiotic. Director Weerasethakul has crafted a beautiful world that manages to meet somewhere between reality and a dream world. TROPICAL MALADY is a mesmerising dreamlike folk tale, an exploration of memories, darkness, happiness and ghosts.