Mysterious Object at Noon / Dogfar nai mae marn

In his feature-length debut and one of Thailand's first independent productions, Weerasethakul travels with a film crew from Bangkok to the rural south and back. The documentary approach, however, is linked to the fictional "Once upon a time ...". A seller of tuna starts telling the story of a boy in a wheelchair and his teacher, and the filmmaker allows it to be spun further – and reenacted - by the people he meets, as they like. In the process, various facets of Thailand's collective unconscious, elements of science fiction, soap opera, musicals, and legendary tales shine through. Narration itself is a journey here and the film is the constant transformation of a narrative, which offers an insight into Thailand's urban and rural life, as well as a first impression of Weerasethakul's freedom of storytelling. (bik)