Throughout February
Friday 2 (7:30pm only)
Tuesdays 6, 13, 20, 27
Thursday - Saturday 8 - 10
Satuday & Sunday 17 and 18
Wednesday 21 and 28
Admission: $5, $10 minimum
Showtime: 7:30pm and 10pm
reservations
are recommended
From the same director as Tears
of the Black Tiger (2000),
Wisit Sasanatieng's follow-up, Citizen
Dog (2004), is a
heroic and absurdist melodrama with a highy stylized design, doubled-dipped
with intensely saturated colors. The closest stylistic comparison
might be Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amelie, City of Lost
Children and Delicatessen.
Tears of the Black Tiger
recently played at Film Forum (after years in Miramax limbo) and
received rave reviews from the NY Times, Time Out, and The Voice.
Citizen Dog shares the same
fetishized attention to brilliant colors and fantastic realities.
One review
said:
"Sasanatieng has created a film for those who enjoy deciphering
images for their sheer metaphorical value. For those who have
no such interest, it is a film that can be enjoyed for its visual
splendour alone. Citizen Dog heads Thai cinemas 2005
charge, and there is no doubt that this film confirms Sasanatieng’s
place as one of the major directors leading the way."
"The film's major attraction is Sasanatieng’s vivid
imagination on overdrive. The saturated colours and diverse textures
of the film beautifully stand out - this is amazing considering
that the film was shot in HDDV. Sasanatieng’s knack for
the painterly arts is emphasized by an obviously more attuned
vision and direction when compared to his last outing. Metaphors
for a positive change in Thai society are displayed no holds barred.
Everything from a sea of red motorcycle helmets to a mountain
of recycled water bottles create Sasanatieng’s new city."
"Another of Citizen Dog's major selling points is
its contemporary setting. Modern day Bangkok has such a great
visual appeal, and Sasanatieng fully utilizes this beauty, employing
its architecture and clutter to create interesting framings and
provocative images. I don’t think that Bangkok has ever
looked so charismatic in a film. Furthermore, contemporary Bangkok
seems easier for a general audience to associate with - we see,
hear and smell familiarity. Sasanatieng uses this modern setting
as his template rather than his canvas to give the city and its
inhabitants a surreal face lift."
This film has rarely been screened in the States and it still
lacks a domestic distributor. It was just released in Hong Kong
last month on DVD with English Subtitles. We showed this last
June as part of our Thai Tuesdays series.
DO NOT SLEEP ON THIS!
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