Syndromes and a Century

Synopsis: Story about director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's parents who were both doctors, and director's memories about growing up in the hospital environment.
Genre: Drama
Production: Strand Releasing
  3 wins & 10 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.5
Metacritic:
71
Rotten Tomatoes:
88%
Year:
2006
105 min
595 Views


You majored in Pharmacy?

Only for two years

Then I studied medicine for four more

Why did you switch faculties?

I found life in the pharmacy boring

You don't get to meet many people

But it's comfortable work

Yes, but it's always the same old faces

I like meeting a wide variety of people

To gather new experiences?

Yes, to see faces come and go

How would you describe yourself?

I'd say I'm a cheerful person

Why do you think you're cheerful?

I'm gauging from my friend's reactions

when they're with me

They seem to enjoy themselves

Do you play any sports?

- Sports...

- Can you draw?

I can play basketball

What position do you play?

Centre

Do you prefer drawing with paint,

pencils or pastels?

Drawing? Pencils, mostly

- You prefer pencils?

- Yes

Do you prefer triangles,

squares or circles?

Circles

A circle? What colour would it be?

I'd like it to be clear

Clear? And what size?

- About the size of the bottom of a glass

- The bottom of a glass

Do you keep any pets?

I used to have a cat

You had a cat...

Can you sit up straight, please?

Turn to the left

OK. What hand do you use

for surgery?

- My right hand

- Can I see it?

Stretch out your arm

Spread out your hand

Clench your fist

Clench it harder. Hold it steady

That's fine

- What was that for?

- What does DDT stand for?

- Pardon?

- What does DDT stand for?

DDT...?

Do we have to know that here?

What does it stand for?

Is it the pesticide?

'Destroy Dirty Things'

Or is it 'Deep Down To You'?

Take this note to Dr Prasarn

in the emergency ward

- Don't peek at it, Doctor

- OK

- Is there...?

- I'll be off, then

See you

Sorry I kept you waiting

A cup of tea?

Doctor... I brought you a small gift

You shouldn't have

Thank you very much

Is it beef or pork?

It's crispy pork

Keep it in the freezer

so it stays crispy longer

Thank you again

Excuse me...

...this is my first day here...

Are you sure you want me

in the emergency ward?

Aren't you used to it

from the army camp?

Not really. We rarely saw

serious cases there

And when I see blood I get...

You get what?

Excuse me

Pardon me,

Dr Prasarn asked me to fetch you

Koh, this is Dr Nohng

- Hello

- Hello

To fetch me or Dr Nohng?

- I'm not sure

- Then please take Dr Nohng there

- Aren't you coming, too?

- Of course. Just give me a second

- How's Nook? I haven't seen her lately

- Busy selling T-shirts. I want a new girl

She might find a new guy first

Imet a cute girl while I was

out drinking with Dr Prasarn

- Whereabouts?

- A place right behind the hospital

There are pubs behind the hospital?

Didn't you know?

I pass by everyday

and haven't seen any

What time do you pass?

They open after 9:00pm

No one's around that late

Everyone's gone home by then

So he got her number and called her up

How did it go?

Well, she also gave me her number,

and it turns out she liked me more

Really?

When I called her,

we talked for over two hours

Who's prettier, her or Nook?

Dr Nohng, aren't you sore...

...from walking so stiffly?

I'm used to it

This way, Doctor

Dr Prasarn, this is Dr Nohng

whom I recommended

Did you see a lot of patients yesterday?

Not really. It feels busier today

Are they construction workers?

- Yes, a couple of brothers

- Really?

- They're cute, huh?

- They're OK

- Our hospital's giving away glasses?

- Like the ones in star Wars

You're right!

The same style

- I forgot I've left someone in my room

- Who?

It's OK, I'll go back to them

after my rounds

They're going to plant a lot more trees

This is where they'll set up the stage

For the Buddhist holiday?

There is alms-giving in the morning

In the morning

Hey! I forgot to turn it off. Hey!

Turn off what?

This thing clipped to my pants

What are you talking about?

We're done

It's kind of like...

- Like what?

- ...playing the same scene over

Damn it

At first it wasn't so bad

- You wanted to be an actor, right?

- It's only been five takes

All together

What's wrong with my eyes?

I'm checking if your brain's

response is normal

My brain?

Yes

Do you have dreams often?

Well, Idon't really know

Since I fell out of bed the other night...

...I've been like this

Your leg is sore?

My leg is sore and my joints ache

I see

The other night...

...I dreamt about a flock of chickens

When I was a boy, a young boy...

...I was naughty and mean-spirited,

I used to break their legs for fun

I'd go visit my friend's farm...

...and break the legs of his chickens...

...because their clucking sound

really bothered me

In my dream...

...they told me that

they wanted me to suffer

Despite the fact that I've offered

prayers for them for many years

You can communicate with chickens?

Their spirits came and possessed me

I guess they wanted revenge

I ran away,

but they chased after me

They kept chasing me. I was so scared

I grew wings and turned into a chicken

I always sleep on my side

and hug a bolster pillow

In my dream, I was woken up...

...and they kicked me out of bed

I landed on the floor

and all my joints were aching

Do your joints still ache?

Now and then.

That's why I came to see you

- Do you eat a lot of chicken?

- I guess so

I really should try to eat less

to reduce my bad karma

But when I collect alms,

I must accept what's offered

Can you excuse me for a minute?

Where are you going?

- I'm going...

- You haven't finished my check-up

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes

Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Apichatpong "Joe" Weerasethakul (born July 16, 1970) is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter, and film producer. His feature films include Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, winner of the prestigious 2010 Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or prize; Tropical Malady, which won a jury prize at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival; Blissfully Yours, which won the top prize in the Un Certain Regard program at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival; Syndromes and a Century, which premiered at the 63rd Venice Film Festival and was the first Thai film to be entered in competition there; and Cemetery of Splendour, which premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim. Weerasethakul has received numerous additional accolades, including the 2016 Principal Prince Claus Award. Working outside the strict confines of the Thai film studio system, Weerasethakul has directed several features and dozens of short films. Themes reflected in his films (frequently discussed in interviews) include dreams, nature, sexuality (including his own homosexuality), and Western perceptions of Thailand and Asia, and his films display a preference for unconventional narrative structures (like placing titles/credits at the middle of a film) and for working with non-actors. Cinephiles affectionately refer to him as "Joe" (a nickname that he, like many with similarly long Thai names, has adopted out of convenience). more…

All Apichatpong Weerasethakul scripts | Apichatpong Weerasethakul Scripts

0 fans

Submitted on August 05, 2018

Discuss this script with the community:

0 Comments

    Translation

    Translate and read this script in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this screenplay to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Syndromes and a Century" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 19 Mar. 2024. <https://www.scripts.com/script/syndromes_and_a_century_17431>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest writers community and scripts collection on the web!

    Watch the movie trailer

    Syndromes and a Century

    Browse Scripts.com

    The Studio:

    ScreenWriting Tool

    Write your screenplay and focus on the story with many helpful features.