February 10th, 7:00PM in Garland 104 (2441 E. Hartford)
While critically acclaimed films from dynamic, growing national cinemas such as Thailand are now seen on a world stage, there is another type of film which remains nearly invisible. This second type is the average film, or even the flop. But it could be argued that such films can open up a window into a society in ways that an acclaimed film might be self consciously above. Chaos At The Graveyard is one such film.
The story revolves around developers who want to build a housing development in a rural area containing an old graveyard. Plans to relocate the graves run afoul of the ghosts who exist there. But the film really transcends any kind of plot with its inept acting, jumpy editing, unconvincing FX and uncertain sensibilities. On the face of it, the story is a horror comedy, but the content is so strange and uneven that it might just as well have been a failed melodrama. But just as Plan 9 From Outer Space (1958) maintains a resonance in American cinema, Chaos at the Graveyard is for better or worse, a kind of window into Thai culture.
Thailand, Director Jarun Wongsatja, Cast Kanchai Komnerdploy, Onhatal Suesrisawad and Chatchadaporn Thananta, 119 minutes, in Thai with English subtitles.
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