Keow!
Auntie!
You go on ahead.
Put it over there.
Over there.
How about this one?
Put it over here.
The weather is really good.
It sure is.
It's very clean here, no dust.
Jaai helps out. He's the chief worker.
That's what I thought.
He's the one who called me?
Yes.
Where did you get him?
From Laos. He crossed the Mekong river.
Is he legal?
I don't know.
What's that?
Tea leaves... a Chinese man gave to me.
Aren't you afraid of illegal immigrants?
They can rob you, kill you and disappear.
Don't worry.
The Lao are more hard-working than Thais.
Shhh...
What?
Crazy man! I should send you back to the hospital.
Why is it so bitter?
You'll soon get used to the taste.
I know this man Dang who was paralysed.
He drank this tea.
Now he can walk fine and his piss is as clear as water.
Jaai!
Tell Buapan she's not needed tonight.
Okay, but shall I come back?
Yes, of course.
My kidney still needs you.
I can't get by without him.
He tried to talk to me
but I don't understand the Isaan dialect.
Not Isaan, Tong. It's Lao, remember?
Lao?
Jaai is single. Help find him a girl, Jen.
I'm also single...
And lonely too.
I thought you said Laotians were smelly.
They are smelly. What are you thinking?
- What do you want for dinner? - What?
What do you want to eat? What can't you eat?
A lot...
Don't say that.
I brought him out here to cook for you.
That's right.
Water?
No.
The water isn't running.
Oh, now it is.
Is it a lot?
A quarter full.
15 minutes left.
It's flowing.
Did it hurt when I dressed your wound?
Not really.
Soon you will get better.
In not too long.
You think?
You'll stay with me to the end?
Come on. You'll be fine.
I'd like to ask about Auntie Jen.
Was she pretty when she was a teenager?
Well, she was in a temple beauty contest.
Don't say that. I'm embarrassed.
I was almost a beauty queen.
Are you all full?
Yes.
Shame to waste my glass noodles. Taste some, won't you?
My mouth's watering just looking at it.
I completely forgot.
He said he can't eat egg yolk,
but I put in two yolks.
It's alright. Your kidney will be drained tonight.
Try some.
I really can't.
Look at my feet. They're swollen.
The doctor said I try too many things.
So many restrictions...
Even so, my condition hasn't improved.
This stir-fried chilli is very good, Tong.
- I ate a lot of it. - Thank you, sir.
Have you seen your bedroom? Will you be able to sleep there?
Sure, no problem.
I built the concrete room downstairs to sleep in myself.
It's much cooler.
But I don't sleep there. I'm used to my old bedroom.
So I just use it for storage.
I'll sleep fine. It's nice and cool.
You like it cool, don't you?
No mosquitoes, right?
Huay?
Is that you?
Yes, it's me.
Huay...
Boonmee, I'm sorry.
Why sorry?
It's been so long.
I have no concept of time any longer.
It's been 19 years, I think.
Auntie Jen, is that your younger sister?
My older sister.
Huay, you're older than me
but you look so young.
Jen, I'm preserved this way.
You remain 42, right?
Boonmee, I know that you're sick.
I often wonder where you are.
If you are alright.
If you have enough to eat.
If you have clothes to wear.
I'm fine, but I know you are not well.
Here, have some water.
Maybe you have travelled from far away.
Huay,
did you get the things I sent you via the temple?
Yes, sister.
Thank you very much.
I could feel them.
I could hear your prayers.
It comforted me on those cold nights
with only the whispering wind.
I heard familiar voices...
Boonmee's voice...
Perhaps...
they were being replayed from my dying consciousness.
Huay...
Are you here to take me away?
Don't say things like that.
What's that sound?
Do you hear it?
Jaai, is that you?
Who are you?
I'm Boonsong.
Boonsong?
Boonsong, my son?
Mother.
It's Boonsong.
I recognise his voice.
Come here, child.
Come...
Do you remember me?
Sit here, child.
Why did you grow your hair so long?
There are...
There are many beings outside right now.
So I had to come and see you, Father.
What beings?
Spirits.
And hungry animals.
Like me...
they sense your sickness.
Boonsong...
I want to recognise you
but I can't.
Huay...
Six years after you died,
Boonsong disappeared.
I looked for him all afternoon.
The workers searched all over the farm.
When dusk arrived
we lit up the mountain,
hoping he could see his way back home.
I saw you and the men searching for me.
I saw the sky change colour.
I saw the lights.
But the night before I'd made up my mind.
I practised with your Pentax camera.
I tried to understand...
that thing.
What did you call it?
"The art of photography."
I took lots of photos
wherever I went.
One day...
I made a trip to the mountains.
I searched for that thing in the photo.
Excuse me.
Auntie...
I have never shown anyone the proof of my discovery.
In fact...
the film was not even developed.
I was obsessed with this new creature.
I tried to chase it down
while it leapt from branch to branch.
I tried to communicate with it.
I'm talking about the Monkey Ghost.
The Monkey Ghost?
Yes.
The ones we heard when we were young.
I couldn't have experienced this
if I hadn't mated with a Monkey Ghost.
My hair...
was growing longer.
My pupils...
were slowly dilating.
After I acquired my wife,
we migrated north,
across the river.
By then, I had forgotten the old world.
From my outsider's point of view,
you should be rejoicing that these two have returned.
I am.
So why such a face?
How should my face look?
Have you eaten yet?
You can eat the leftovers.
Boonsong, I have something to show you.
Jen.
Sister.
How is Hans? Is he alright?
I chased him out with a butcher's knife.
- What happened? - We clashed all the time.
Son, earthly matters never cease to surprise, right?
There are a lot.
Look at them.
Remember this?
Can I?
I turned this land into a bee farm,
as you always wanted.
These pictures...
I took by myself.
Aren't they nice?
Sister...
Look at this.
My funeral...
I can't see well in this bright light.
I'll take care of it.
Isn’t it too dark?
Tong, fetch the light in my room.
- Where is it? - By my bed.
I see you started taking pictures again.
I've kept myself busy.
The workers come and go.
Sometimes, I envy them.
They can go wherever they want.
But I...
I can't go. I just stay here.
You've been here all along?
Auntie Jen always says
she wants to stay in one place.
But she's always on the move.
It's not by choice.
It must be my karma
from being stubborn.
Jen.
Yes?
Will you take over this farm for me?
A few years from now,
both your daughters will have their own families.
Who will take care of you?
Please don't...
Tong, see? I'm not the only stubborn one.
How am I stubborn?
I've already prepared my will.
Why live in a cramped apartment in that "city from hell"?
How can you expect me to live here?
With all the ghosts and migrant workers?
Jaai is a good man.
You'll be fine.
After I've died, I'll find my way back to help you.
How will you do that?
I'll be able to.
Living here doesn't mean you're stuck here.
There's a temple about 30 minutes away.
You can learn to meditate there.
Once you've mastered it, you can travel anywhere.
Uncle, Jaai's here.
Uncle!
What is that?
It's my son. He's called Boonsong.
Don't be afraid of him.
Uncle, it's a monkey.
I said he's my son.
And this is my wife, Huay.
I feel like the strange one here.
Jaai, thank you for taking care of him.
It's okay, ma'am.
It's my job.
In fact, I'm here to clean his kidney.
Is it already my bedtime?
Auntie Jen,
you're deliberately stepping on these poor insects.
I'm not.
All these bugs and moths...
I know it's a country house, but it's too full of...
Too full of what?
Jaai.
To protect you from pesticide.
Thank you.
Auntie, I'm leaving soon.
- Where to? - To register in Laos.
With a woman?
Of course.
I thought you might register a car or a house instead.
You can flirt with girls from here?
We telephone
and trade photos.
Does Boonmee know you are leaving?
I think so.
Auntie, a squash.
It's very big.
Does Boonmee pay you too little?
Jaai, you don't have to be polite with me.
I didn't realise you were such landed gentry.
But I'm the real worker.
What are you doing?
Taking care of the tamarinds. There are a lot of pests lately.
These grey worms eat the fruit and the leaves.
Dung beetles too.
See?
- A wormhole. - The white one?
Our tamarinds are not as good as those in Petchaboon.
What is it, Jaai?
This is Jen, Boonmee's sister-in-law.
Hello, hello everyone.
Nikom, come here.
Bonjour.
Why don't you speak?
Jen, this is Nikom.
He can speak French.
He swam over when Laos fell apart. Right?
Yes.
He taught me a lot of French words.
Vous pouvez
aller travailler maintenant.
- That's enough. - How come?
- Interesting farm you have, Boonmee. - Indeed.
- Hello, sir. - Hello.
- Can we steal some honey? - Go ahead.
There are still so many bees.
So many.
Run along.
See?
The local honey tastes like tamarind and maize.
It is both sweet and sour.
- That's your idea? - Of course.
Taste it.
Don't scrape the bottom. The larvae are there.
The best parts are on top.
I made a mess.
It's as chewy as bubblegum.
After a long walk,
this is heaven.
Yummy.
Come wash your hands.
Luckily, I'm using an anti-UV cream.
Jaai?
I'm at the honey shack.
Come over.
Need help?
It's okay. Jaai is on his way.
It's a burden, isn't it?
That's why I built this shack.
To lighten the burden.
- Where are you going? - Be right back.
Hungry?
Are you hungry?
Come here.
Have some.
Tasty?
Fetch.
Good.
Jen.
You know, this is a result of my karma.
What is?
This illness.
I've killed too many communists.
But you killed with good intentions.
And I've killed a lot of bugs on my farm.
It depends on your intentions.
You killed the commies for the nation, right?
Like my father.
For the nation? Or what?
What a pain in the ass.
I miss my father.
You do?
Back then,
the army sent him into the jungle to hunt people.
But he hunted animals instead.
He stayed there until he could speak with the animals.
Did he visit you after his death?
No, once he was dead he was gone.
He didn't become a ghost.
- You have dog spit on your hands. - Just eat it.
Deep down,
I know that reflection is an illusion.
Is it an illusion?
You're the same person I've always revered.
That's an illusion too.
Were I not a princess,
would you say that?
Stop!
Come back to me!
You didn't look at me.
You imagined kissing the woman in the reflection, right?
Leave me alone, please.
Princess, don't waste your tears.
Let me share in your sorrow.
I've watched you ever since you first graced this place.
Why?
Why look at me?
There's nothing worth noticing.
Nothing? Your beauty is enchanting.
Your view from underwater must be so distorted.
It's not. You saw your beauty in the water, didn't you?
Who are you?
Are you some kind of ghost?
I'm not a ghost. I'm a catfish.
You created the reflection, didn't you?
Without you, I couldn't have done so.
She seems to have everything I don't.
Most women don't have what you have.
But they have love.
Wait! Come back!
Will you turn my body white
and pretty like that reflection?
These are my offerings.
For you, Lord of the Water,
to whom I am so grateful.
Wait.
Huay...
I haven't much time left.
When I was a student,
giving presentations to my class
made me so nervous
I'd forget
and leave my meal unfinished.
When you're excited,
you can't operate fully.
In my case,
I'm reduced to 20%.
And it's happening now.
Are you excited?
Or afraid?
It's like when I gave the presentation.
How about you?
Did you feel the same way
when you were dying?
I did.
But I didn't dare let you know.
Huay...
I love you so much.
I was so embarrassed
when you appeared last night.
Embarrassed?
Look at my hands, my arms.
I'm not the same. Not as I was 19 years ago.
Your hand is like ice.
I don't know how
I will find you
after I'm dead.
Where should my spirit
go to look for you?
In heaven?
Heaven is overrated. There's nothing there.
Where are you then?
Ghosts aren't attached to places
but to people,
to the living.
But what if I'm dead?
Fah went to Nok Island.
Didn't she tell anyone?
No, she didn't.
Have you and Fah had an argument?
No, we haven't...
Suddenly, she disappeared like that.
Jen!
What is it?
- I've something to show you. - What?
Come and look.
Come quickly.
Look at what?
What is it?
These things
are all I have left.
Why are you showing me? I don't want them.
It's time for me to go.
Go where?
Well...
I don't know, myself.
Come with us.
Tong...
Boonmee has gone mad.
Huay,
you're a ghost gone mad.
Are you okay?
Tired?
Don't sit like that.
Can I...?
Auntie Jen? What's that sound?
Auntie Jen...
So many...
What's wrong with my eyes?
They are open
but I can't see a thing.
Or are my eyes closed?
Maybe you need time for your eyes
to adjust to the dark.
This cave...
It's like a womb, isn't it?
I was born here
in a life
I can't recall.
I only know
that I was born here.
I don't know if I was a human
or an animal,
a woman
or a man.
Last night,
I dreamt of the future.
I arrived there
in a sort of time machine.
The future city
was ruled by an authority
able to make anybody disappear.
When they found "past people", they shone a light at them.
That light projected images of them onto the screen.
From the past, until their arrival in the future.
Once those images appeared,
these "past people" disappeared.
I was afraid
of being captured by the authorities
because I had many friends in this future.
I ran away.
But wherever I ran, they still found me.
They asked me if I knew this road
or that road.
I told them I didn't know.
And then I...
disappeared.
Please have some boiled rice.
Ms Arunee Srisuk.
150 baht.
Yingbuaban family.
50 baht. Such a big envelope!
And then...
No name.
Oh, here it is. Roong Arpon.
300 baht.
- How much was it? - 300.
Anonymous.
- Auntie Jen. - 100 baht.
When are we going to sleep?
In a few days.
No! You... That's money!
Arrange those envelopes for me.
Manop...
There's no funeral book, is there?
I don't know if Boonmee has much money in the bank.
If he has a lot, I should make one for him, no?
U p-country people don't need that luxury.
No one took photos at the funeral?
A book...
I didn't know him that well.
What would I write about him?
Just make something up.
Brother Tong...
Excuse me, Roong.
What are you doing here?
Why are you here?
I can't sleep.
As a monk, you shouldn't be here.
What if people see?
See you.
See us.
What would we do?
So let me come in then.
Can I put it here?
Brother, you shouldn't be near us.
Why not?
You are a monk, not a man.
Stop joking.
The air conditioning is too cold here.
Don't change the subject.
That's because you have no hair.
But it's blowing directly on my head.
And you think you can sleep here, son?
It's too scary at the temple.
It's too pure for you perhaps.
You like to be near the action
and in the way of temptation.
But, Auntie, I kind of understand him.
My room doesn't even have a radio.
Some monks have computers
to check emails, chat on Hi-5.
My room is dead quiet.
Be patient. You'll be out in a few days.
Oh, Auntie.
Where are you going?
Can I take a shower?
I want a warm shower.
As you wish.
I'll just think I'm earning future merit.
I'm freezing.
Feel refreshed?
Don't look. He's half-naked.
Don't peek.
Come on. Let's go eat.
Roong.
Let's check out the 7-Eleven.
I'm not hungry yet.
I'm hungry.
Let's eat first. Before I go back to the temple.
I thought you quit monkhood.
You're not afraid any more?
No. I've showered. Now I'm hungry.
You smell like lemongrass.
- My shoes? - No, your body odour.
The soap is old-style.
Good. It'll help chase away mosquitoes.
But it makes you smell like tom yum soup.
I'm edible.
Tong, let's go and eat.
Tong, let's go eat.
Come on.
- Want to sing? - No.
- Pick a cue. - Why don't you sing?
Subtitling : L.V.T. - Paris