Mysterious Object at Noon, the debut feature from Apichatpong Weerasethakul, is without a doubt one of the most exciting pieces of film I’ve encountered in a long while. Purists may hesitate to label it a documentary as the film melds documentary footage and interviews with fictional footage interspersed throughout. The documentary participants, however, solely supply the fiction with each interviewee contributing to the ongoing story, thereby dictating the content and direction of the film. What emerges is a snapshot not only of life in urban and rural Thailand but also a fascinating view into the collective unconscious of its culture – and, ultimately, by ceding complete control of the film to its subjects, the resulting work stands among the purest of documentaries while simultaneously birthing a marvelous new breed of cinema.

Click here for the full review by Mark Nichols.