Big Screen Little Screen

Paced like a slow drip - appropriate for the Taiwanese director’s obsession with water themes - in his first venture to his native Malaysia, this short teaser of Tsai Ming-liang’s I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone serves as a literal representation of what it’s like to view his near-silent narratives on resolute isolation. (Also, a long trailer, if you prefer.) My bias towards the craftsman’s earlier works indicate that as a positive.

You may read otherwise. In which case Thai filmmaker
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Syndromes and a Century may not float your mattress either, though it’s curious how a quiet drone shattered by buzzsaw guitar (halfway through this trailer) can reshape one’s expectations. Two hospital stories, based on memories attached to his parents’ relationship - last year, contributing critics to Film Comment named Syndromes the Best Film of 2006 not distributed in the U.S. (Sleep Alone placed fourth). Currently playing in New York to almost universal acclaim (GreenCine), here’s to the hope that Syndromes, along with I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone, will debut for American art-houses sooner rather than later.