Tropical Malady is one of the most creative experimental films released this year. The film is mainly composed of two parts. The first half is about Keng, a serviceman, who is having fun with his friend, Tong, during his vacation. In the second half, Keng returns to the base and hunts after a monster upon hearing rumors of a mysterious creature living in the jungle. Apichatpong Weerasethakul has been featuring widespread rumors of mysterious and supernatural phenomena in various ways since the time of his short films. The jungle may be the most common place for that kind of phenomena. In his previous film, Blissfully Yours, the jungle Is a place for finding a supernatural being and a place for finding the other self of man. In a way, the jungle remotely expresses the obsession of love. For Apichatpong Weerasethakul, who seems addicted to supernatural beings, the jungle is a symbolic space where supernatural beings exist. Although his films are rather unfamiliar and difficult to understand, they never go out of the boundary of the mentality of an ordinary Thai. In this regard, his films are quite paradoxical and at the same time show strong local color. (Kim Ji-seok)