Malila: The Farewell Flower

This is not for everyone; you need to be in the right head space (mood) in order to truly appreciate this.

Many may misunderstand or be unfamiliar w/the culture. Becoming a "monk" in Thailand is not the same to becoming a priest, taking "vows" and being a monk in Western culture. It can be something temporary and transient. There are rules ...but they are not mandatory. Like preparing for "Confirmation" in Catholicism (or the Bar mitzmah in Judaism), being "Buddhist" in Thailand means that EVERY MAN is required to become a monk for a period of time before the age of 20 (the majority of which is only about a few weeks). Young men do this in order to receive good karma and benefit.

Having been raised as Catholic, I found this captivating and was fascinated by the Buddhist message that tries to show us to live in the "now," be "present," appreciate life ...and be try to be one with the universe. It's a beautiful and very "spiritual" film which gives us a rare glimpse into a non-western culture, beliefs and traditions.

I originally found some of the scenes a bit morbid and quite odd. But in hindsight, I don't know if there was a better way to do it. This movie is timeless ...same thing could have happened hundreds of years ago and little would be changed.

DO NOT watch this simply expecting a "gay" flick. The characters being "gay" is insignificant here. In Buddhism, one needs to be accepting of all living things; being "gay" is NOT wrong per the Buddhist philosophy (but still may not be fully embraced by Thai society).

This is a story in 2 acts, that are almost separated from each other. Backstory: Shane and Pitch were lovers. Pitch left the village for the city, but Shane refused to follow. Instead, Shane married, saw his daughter die, and his wife left him because of his drinking. Now they reunite, with Pitch dying of cancer. Rejecting medical treatment as painful and ineffective, Pitch feels better when he creates structures of flowers and banana leaves. Meanwhile, Shane's offering is to become a Buddhist monk, to build karma for Pitch to either keep him alive or to help in his afterlife.

Act 1 is the love story. Act 2 is Shane's learning to be a travelling monk, following a veteran in collecting alms, learning to concentrate in meditation, and spending nights in the forest, frequently suffering thru rainstorms. It may make better sense to someone who is Buddhist, who can better accept a philosophy of the impermanence of all things, but I just had trouble emotionally connecting the 2 parts.

This film should be viewed in a certain mood, and full attention should be paid, without distractions. First of all, I gave it a 10 because I wouldn't change anything - everything had a purpose, everything had meaning which slowly grew over time. Even as the film was finished I found myself holding onto little pieces of the film and understanding more of what was shown. This film was absolutely beautiful and spoke to me on so many levels and shows that there are many complexities to life, but living life in the present, and being aware of what is surrounding you, is a good way to get by. I wont dive much into the plot as it can speak for itself but I will say that this is a timeless film, that I will never forget about. The acting was superb, the filming was fresh yet nuanced and the directing could not be topped. Many may think that this film is slow, but everything has a reason and as I find with many Thai films, the pacing is simply unique and allows for ideas to develop. The pace is necessary to fully understand the film, and even though it isn't fast paced, there are many factors that would never have been thought of, particularly in western culture.

I initially wanted to watch this film as the director had directed a series that I am currently watching that I really liked. Boonyawatana manages to find something new and bring an alternative view to everything she directs. I've never seen anything like this film, and I can't wait to see if she will direct another.

The acting is just unbelievable, and you can see that this is more-or-less a director-driven film. The filming is just beautiful. There are hidden messages to life in this movie. I believe all the accolades it received spoke it all.