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Cemetery of Splendour
Film poster
Thai	รักที่ขอนแก่น
Directed by	Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Written by	Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Produced by	Apichatpong Weerasethakul Keith Griffiths Simon Field Charles de Meaux Michael Weber Hans W. Geißendörfer
Starring	Jenjira Pongpas Widner Banlop Lomnoi Jarinpattra Rueangram
Cinematography	Diego García
Edited by	Lee Chatametikool
Production companies	Kick the Machine Films Illuminations Films (Past Lives)
Release date	18 May 2015 (2015-05-18) (Cannes)
Running time	122 minutes
Country	Thailand
Language	Thai
Box office	$83,250

Cemetery of Splendour (Thai: รักที่ขอนแก่น, RTGS: Rak Ti Khon Kaen) is a 2015 Thai drama film written, produced, and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The plot revolves around a spreading epidemic of sleeping sickness where spirits appear to the stricken and hallucination becomes indistinguishable from reality. The epidemic is a metaphor for personal and Thai societal issues. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim.

Plot

Soldiers with a mysterious sleeping sickness are transferred to a temporary clinic in a former school. The memory-filled space becomes a revelatory world for housewife and volunteer Jen, as she watches over Itt, a handsome soldier with no family visitors. Jen befriends young medium Keng, who uses her psychic powers to help loved ones communicate with the comatose men. Doctors explore ways, including colored light therapy, to ease the men's troubled dreams. Jen discovers Itt's cryptic notebook of strange writings and blueprint sketches. There may be a connection between the soldiers' enigmatic syndrome and a mythic ancient site beneath the clinic. Magic, healing, romance and dreams are all part of Jen's path to a deeper awareness of herself and the world around her.

Cast

• Banlop Lomnoi as Itt
• Jenjira Pongpas as Jenjira
• Jarinpattra Rueangram as Keng
• Petcharat Chaiburi as Nurse Tet

Release

Cemetery of Splendour premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.

Reception

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 97% approval rating based on 71 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10. The site's consensus reads, "Cemetery of Splendour gracefully eludes efforts to pin down its meaning while offering patient viewers another gently hypnotic wonder from writer/director Apichatpong Weerasethakul." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100 based on 17 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Year-end lists

Cemetery of Splendour was ranked 5th in the Sight & Sound 20 best films of 2015, and 2nd in the Cahiers du Cinéma's 2015 Top Ten chart.

Accolades

References

1. "Cemetery of Splendour". The Numbers. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
2. Justin Chang. "'Cemetery of Splendor' Review: Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Latest Enigma - Variety". Variety. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
3. ^ "Complement to the Official Selection". Cannes Film Festival. 23 April 2015. Archived from the original on 5 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
4. ^ "Screenings Guide". Festival de Cannes. 6 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
5. "Cemetery of Splendor". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
6. "Cemetery of Splendor". Metacritic. CBS Interactive Inc. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
7. "The 20 best films of 2015". British Film Institute. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
8. "Top Ten 2015, Décembre 2015 n°717". cahiersducinema.net. Archived from the original on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2015.
9. Patrick Frater. "'Cemetery of Splendour' Wins Asia Pacific Screen Awards Trophy". Variety. Retrieved 25 October 2018.

External links

• Official kick the machine site
• Cemetery of Splendour at IMDb
• Cemetery of Splendor at Box Office Mojo

• 2015 films
• 2015 drama films
• Thai drama films
• Thai-language films
• Films directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
• 2010s Thai films