Slow Cinema Maladies

photograph: Samek Art Musuem

As a part of their “Destination Romance” series, the Coolidge Corner Theater is showing Tropical Malady, an understated fantasy/romance/darling of slow cinema and a film that feels expressly personal to me. Because there are so few popular Thai films, I’ve found myself latched to the works of Apichatpong Weerasethakul, so much so that I will be studying his films even further in depth in my honors thesis. His meditative, folkloric and often transnational dramas just barely scratch the surface of all the magic Thai cinema offers, but they are a magnificent starting point for the region. 

I’ve written previously, in this blog, about the importance of watching international films; the thought is always so present in my mind, that I fear that there is nothing I can do but write about it. In an age where the American film conglomerate services over-the-top theatrics and fan service above all else, I’ve been searching elsewhere for films I connect to, with a specific affinity for slow cinema. 

Unless you have an impenetrable attention span (if so, I am so jealous and demand to know your secrets), slow cinema works best in a theater. With an entire audience’s eyes fixed on the same big screen as yours, it’s a criminal act to take out your phone— and to break theater etiquette, in any sense. The emphasis on sound design, wholly encompassing and overwhelming, enhances the experience. Every flicker on the expanse of the screen feels enormous and monumental, and the entirety of these films feels so transformative. 

Throughout my blog posts, I’ve implored you, dear reader, to watch more international films. My longing for more people to watch and fall in love with the likes of Apichatpong Weerasethakul isn’t tied solely to expanding one’s taste, though that is always essential. It’s also to plead this case for slow cinema, against the idea that movies must be constantly stimulating and fun. The American film conglomerate churns out mindless blockbusters one right after the other, and though they’ve never been my thing, I understand for some people they are! I would just also encourage audiences to explore different films, films that are challenging in a multitude of ways, that are interesting and fresh and weird and unlike any standard fare you can get on a blockbuster weekend. There’s merit in film as meditative art just as there is merit in film as entertainment.
Tropical Malady is transformative and so powerful, that it begs for rewatch upon rewatch as a gorgeous expanse of love, history, and culture. May it only be the beginning of a love for slow cinema and expanding one’s cinematic tastes. 

Tropical Malady screens at the Coolidge Corner Theater on February 20, 2024. 

Until next Wednesday,

Karenna