This film is part of Rentals
Malila: The Farewell Flower
A dream-like encounter between two ex-lovers becomes a meditation on love, life and loss in this hauntingly beautiful film.
Director: Anucha Boonyawatana
Overview
This hauntingly beautiful film focuses on former lovers Pitch and Shane. We gradually learn that Shane’s marriage fell apart after the death of a child and he plans to become a Buddhist monk. Pitch, meanwhile, is clearly unwell. His therapy is to practice the art of Bai Sri. A form of flower sculpture that requires enormous patience and skill, where banana leaves are folded to create elegant structures upon which delicate blossoms are threaded, it seems to offer solace to Pitch, as well as the promise of a cure for his cancer.
Ultimately, both men are in search of something and find comfort once again in each other. For all its languorous beauty, this is an occasionally shocking film. But its elision of fantasy and reality, alongside its rich emotional complexity, make it a rare and special experience.
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