Anatomy of Time

Anatomy of Time begins with the ending: the death of Maem’s beloved spouse, a merciless former Thai army officer who fell from grace late in his career. Alternating between past and present, filmmaker Jakrawal Nilthamrong’s second feature film – his first, Vanishing Point, won him the Tiger Award in 2015 – tells the story of Maem, the daughter of a rural clockmaker. We see her as a young woman yet to discover herself in the 1960s, and in her present role as her dying husband’s loyal caretaker – a man now hated by the Thai people.

The film is part historical document of a turbulent time in Thailand, suffering, as it was, under military dictatorship, terrorism from Communist guerillas, and violent confrontations between the various parties. With minimal dialogue or explicit explanation, but with an eye for both tranquil details and the spectacular, omnipresent nature, Nilthamrong meanders through past and present, facts and fiction.