Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Above is a montage of our favourite scenes from Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Blissfully Yours produced in 2004. We (Xiao Ting, Peishan and myself) have decided to come together to watch this show together after FIL230 session, a week after we had made friends with one another during Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Uncle Boonmee who can recall his past lives.
In our own opinion these scenes were our favourite only because they were the more aesthetically pleasant ones. It was also because of the following reasons:
For instances, the two pictures of the scenes from the top right hand corner of this montage in the clockwise direction showcase Achiatpong taking its tone and viewpoint from those of the not sophiscated Min (starred by Min Oo). I pointed out that the two pictures are in fact diary notes and sketches of Min that were some sometimes superimposed over the images in the film itself. We were initially quite puzzled by the appearance of the superimposed sketches. Thanks goodness Xiao Ting had done her research on the movie review before this film. Hence she explained to us that “Min is slightly rounded out through voiceovers and the superimposed drawings he has made- another distancing device meant to give viewers to identify with him” Meanwhile just as we were all on this topic of the diary notes and sketches, Xiao Ting has a flair in drawing excellent sketches as well as we noticed XiaoTing's sketches in her daily planner. I too helped out with designing the montage. (:
Meanwhile, the two scenes at the bottom of the montage present to us the scenes on the journey from inside the car in which Roong (starred by Kanokporn Tongaram) took Min out to the jungle for a picnic and other things that lovers do together. However, for the 3 of us the emphasis was more on appreciating the beautiful sceneries that were presented to us on their way to the jungle for the picnic. Although the bottom right hand corner one had been in fact removed from the Thai released, we all thought that it was a good shot and a good transition to the second part of the film in the forest. This particular scene in fact depict that the focus of the firm has now already shifted away from their urban lives (and perhaps the hardship they suffered in their normal daily live at work etc. back in the city. The village look so serene, peaceful and calm. Meanwhile the bottom left hand corner is a picture of the scene of the winding road to the forest from the city. This is in fact a symbol of the characters’ moving on from their life in the city to the short get-away in the jungle. These 2 pictures from the Toyota Corollas’s front and back windshield showing the sceneries on their way to the forest were my personal favourite as it brought back fond memories of my road trip with friends to Chiang Mai 3 years ago.
We were also captivated by the sceneries in the forest near the Thai-Burmese border. The breathtaking sceneries were shown by the two pictures on the top left hand corner of the montage that show the characters in the forest from different views. In particular, the most top left hand corner of the montage actually shows the two pair of couples (Min and Roong as well as Om and her lover [Tommy] indulging in the acts of fulfilling their various desires) nearby each other (in fact, only separated by a tree)
The 3 of us unanimously voted the screen shot in the middle as the picture that we loved the most in the movie and have thus created a heart-shaped effect around the screen shot. These beautiful sceneries shots in the film made it easier for normal audiences like us to become aware of the issues of the shattered Thai economy and the Burmese military junta subtly.
[1] TR. (n.d.). Time Out Film Guide .Retrieved from: http://www.timeout.com/film/reviews/68019/blissfully-yours.html
[2] Young, D. (2002, May 17). Film review for Blissfully Yours Sud Sanaeha (Drama-Un Certain Regard/Thailand-France). Retrieved from: http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917770?refcatid=1050
[3] Pinkerton, N. (2006). Reverse Shot. Retrieved from: http://www.reverseshot.com/article/blissfully_yours
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