Blissfully Yours
Encyclopedia
Blissfully Yours is a 2002 Thai romance film
directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
. It won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
.
immigrant living in Thailand
who has contracted a mysterious rash
. His girlfriend, Roong, and an older woman, Orn, take him to see a doctor. But the doctor is unable to do anything because Min is forbidden to speak, since he might reveal he is Burmese. Nonetheless, as is customary in Thai hospitals, some medicine is prescribed.
Orn is not satisfied, however, and she stops to buy some more supplies and then goes to her husband's office, where she concocts some lotion
made with from store-bought creams and chopped vegetables and instructs Roong to slather it on Min.
Roong works in a factory, painting ceramic figurines. It's painstaking work, and she does not want to work after having worked overtime the day before. She feigns an illness and takes off with Min. She drives into the countryside, with the plan of having a picnic
in the forest where she and Min can make love.
Orn, meanwhile, is longing for love. She steals her husband's motorcycle
and goes into the jungle to meet Tommy, a worker at the factory. They have sex just off the roadside, but are interrupted when the motorcycle is stolen. Tommy chases after the thief and disappears.
Unsatisfied, Orn wanders deeper into the woods and stumbles upon Min and Roong, who have just finished making love.
", composed by Marcos Valle
and sung by the Thai artist, Nadia.
in Thailand, with about 10 minutes cut from the Thai DVD release.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize; Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004...
. It won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival
2002 Cannes Film Festival
The 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.-Jury:* David Lynch * Sharon Stone* Michelle Yeoh...
.
Plot
Min is an illegal BurmeseMyanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
immigrant living in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
who has contracted a mysterious rash
Rash
A rash is a change of the skin which affects its color, appearance or texture. A rash may be localized in one part of the body, or affect all the skin. Rashes may cause the skin to change color, itch, become warm, bumpy, chapped, dry, cracked or blistered, swell and may be painful. The causes, and...
. His girlfriend, Roong, and an older woman, Orn, take him to see a doctor. But the doctor is unable to do anything because Min is forbidden to speak, since he might reveal he is Burmese. Nonetheless, as is customary in Thai hospitals, some medicine is prescribed.
Orn is not satisfied, however, and she stops to buy some more supplies and then goes to her husband's office, where she concocts some lotion
Lotion
A lotion is a low- to medium-viscosity, topical preparation intended for application to unbroken skin. By contrast, creams and gels have higher viscosity.Lotions are usually applied to external skin with bare hands, a clean cloth, cotton wool or gauze...
made with from store-bought creams and chopped vegetables and instructs Roong to slather it on Min.
Roong works in a factory, painting ceramic figurines. It's painstaking work, and she does not want to work after having worked overtime the day before. She feigns an illness and takes off with Min. She drives into the countryside, with the plan of having a picnic
Picnic
In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...
in the forest where she and Min can make love.
Orn, meanwhile, is longing for love. She steals her husband's motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
and goes into the jungle to meet Tommy, a worker at the factory. They have sex just off the roadside, but are interrupted when the motorcycle is stolen. Tommy chases after the thief and disappears.
Unsatisfied, Orn wanders deeper into the woods and stumbles upon Min and Roong, who have just finished making love.
Title sequence and soundtrack
The opening title credits roll about 45 minutes into the film, during Roong and Min's drive into the jungle. Roong turns on the car radio and the music playing is a Thai-language version of "Summer Samba (So Nice)Summer Samba
Summer Samba is a 1966 bossa nova song by Brazilian composer Marcos Valle, with English-language lyrics by Norman Gimbel; the original Portuguese lyrics came from Paulo Sérgio Valle, brother to the composer.The song was first popularized by the Walter Wanderley Trio in 1966 — the album Rain...
", composed by Marcos Valle
Marcos Valle
Marcos Kostenbader Valle is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and record producer. He has produced works in many musical styles, including bossa nova, samba, incidental music and fusions of American/European rock, soul and dance music with Brazilian styles.-Biography:Valle's talent was evident from...
and sung by the Thai artist, Nadia.
Alternate versions
Because of its graphic sex scenes, the film was censoredCensorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
in Thailand, with about 10 minutes cut from the Thai DVD release.
Festivals and accolades
- 2002 Cannes Film Festival2002 Cannes Film FestivalThe 2002 Cannes Film Festival started on 15 May and ran until 26 May. The Palme d'Or went to the Polish-French-German-British co-produced film The Pianist directed by Roman Polanski.-Jury:* David Lynch * Sharon Stone* Michelle Yeoh...
- Un Certain Regard Prize - 2002 Thessaloniki Film Festival - Golden Alexander
- 2002 Tokyo FilmExTokyo FilmexTokyo Filmex is an annual film festival established in 2000. This film festival was launched by Office Kitano, which is Takeshi Kitano's film company.For now, Office Kitano remains as one of the main partners for Tokyo Filmex....
- Grand Prize - 2003 International Film Festival RotterdamInternational Film Festival RotterdamThe International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
- Circle of Dutch Film Critics (KNF) Award - 2003 Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaBuenos Aires International Festival of Independent CinemaThe Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente is an international festival of independent films organized each year in the month of April, in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina.The festival is managed by the Ministerio de Cultura del Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, it is not...
- Best director and FIPRESCIFIPRESCIThe International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize - 2003 Singapore International Film FestivalSingapore International Film FestivalThe Singapore International Film Festival was launched in 1987. The festival is an annual film event, held around April/May each year, and screens about 300 films from over 45 countries...
- Young Cinema Award