Graiwoot CHULPHONGSATHORN
Lecturer, Communication Arts, Chulalongkorn University
Thailand
Voted for
| Film | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Meshes of the Afternoon | 1943 | Maya Deren, Alexander Hackenschmied |
| La Jetée | 1962 | Chris Marker |
| Black Girl | 1965 | Ousmane Sembène |
| Persona | 1966 | Ingmar Bergman |
| La Région Centrale | 1971 | Michael Snow |
| Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles | 1975 | Chantal Akerman |
| Three Colours Blue | 1993 | Krzysztof Kieslowski |
| SHARASOJYU | 2003 | Naomi Kawase |
| Tropical Malady | 2004 | Apichatpong Weerasethakul |
| A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery | 2016 | Lav Diaz |
Comments
Black Girl
I think the reason that S&S invited me is because they want the poll to be inclusive. So, here, the masterpiece of the Global South. I love that the film is only 65 minutes. Its length is perfect for a film class (which in many countries is limite to only two to two-and-a-half hours per session). I usually show it to my students and the film always works.
Persona
I'm not sure which Bergman film should be nominated. I adore The Silence (1963) and Hour of the Wolf (1968). But I think Persona has had a greater impact on contemporary filmmakers.
La Région Centrale
It's the cinema of the non-human.
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
It's her time.
Three Colours Blue
My vote for this film represents the whole Kieślowski catalogue.
SHARASOJYU
I am curious as to why Kawase Naomi's early films are so underrated. Shara should has a reputation equal to Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Tropical Malady and Jia Zhangke's Still Life. I always think of these three filmmakers together because they were born within a year of one another and they all are masters of fiction/non-fiction hybridity.
Tropical Malady
It's difficult to choose one of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's films, because he never misses. All of his feature films are masterpieces. But Tropical Malady and Syndromes and a Century are his best. They are like Siamese twin, one dark and painful, the other bright and gentle. For this poll, I'm going for the painful one.
Further remarks
My list stands for multiple versions of cinema. In the first version, cinema exists as a cosmological network where humans meet spirits, magic, and non-humans (Deren, Kawase, Snow, Weerasethakul). In another version, cinema is a medium for rebellious voices, in particular from the Global South (Sembène, Diaz). In another , cinema is a forest of time (Marker, Akerman) and an island of illusion (Bergman). Last but not least, there will always be a place for the version of cinema that believes in the good will of humans (Kieslowski).
If I could add another two, I would vote for two films which reflect the possibility of digital cinema. One is Sleep Has Her House (2017) by Scott Barley. The other is Birth of the Seanema (2004) by Sasithorn Ariyavicha.