Syndromes and a Century ***
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2007
Thailand
@ IFC Center

I feel like I've been reading about this guy forever. In fact, I figured out how to spell his name long before actually seeing this. Basically we get a short drama based around a hospital which takes place twice, once in more rural surroundings, and once in the city. The first half is supposedly Weerasethakul's parents' generation (they were doctors), and the second half his own. The individual scenes in each half (many are repeated, some more precisely than others) are largely indeterminate, and the connections/contrasts between the opposing scenes are a big part of why I'm considering seeing this again before it's run ends at the IFC, something I don't think I've ever done before. Well, the mightily pleasant soundtrack and the particularly the gorgeous green backdrops for most all scenes in the first half of the film certainly wouldn't detract from replay value. Actually, I could just watch the slow, hypnotic dolly shot opening to a full-screen view of waving grass, over which the opening credits play, all day.

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