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9 Temples to Heaven
Sompot Chidgasornpongse
North American Premiere
A Thai family accompanies its ailing matriarch on a pilgrimage to nine separate Buddhist temples all in one day in this contemplative spiritual journey from Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s longtime assistant director, Sompot Chidgasornpongse. Thailand’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2027 Academy Awards.
- Runtime
- 140 min
- Country
- Thailand/
Singapore/ France/ Norway/ China/ Hong Kong/ Indonesia/ Qatar - Language
- Thai
- Year
- 2026
- More information
- Official film page
Screenings
A contemplative spiritual journey that’s equal parts travelogue and family drama, this second feature from Sompot Chidgasornpongse—a longtime assistant director to Apichatpong Weerasethakul on such astonishments as Tropical Malady and Memoria—brings the viewer on a Buddhist rite of passage. After businessman Sakol (Surachai Ningsanond) is told by a fortune teller that his ailing mother (Amara Ramnarong) is near death, he packs up the entire family in a van to accompany her on a pilgrimage to nine separate temples all in one day—a tradition of “making merit” that will bring her good karma, as well as put some cash and gifts in the pockets of the temples’ monks. Focusing on both the mundane, sometimes squabbling interactions between the family members and the grandeur of Thai architecture, 9 Temples to Heaven beautifully balances the modern and the sacred in its inquiry into morality and mortality.
Explore more on Film Comment:
A contemplative spiritual journey that’s equal parts travelogue and family drama, this second feature from Sompot Chidgasornpongse—a longtime assistant director to Apichatpong Weerasethakul on such astonishments as Tropical Malady and Memoria—brings the viewer on a Buddhist rite of passage. After businessman Sakol (Surachai Ningsanond) is told by a fortune teller that his ailing mother (Amara Ramnarong) is near death, he packs up the entire family in a van to accompany her on a pilgrimage to nine separate temples all in one day—a tradition of “making merit” that will bring her good karma, as well as put some cash and gifts in the pockets of the temples’ monks. Focusing on both the mundane, sometimes squabbling interactions between the family members and the grandeur of Thai architecture, 9 Temples to Heaven beautifully balances the modern and the sacred in its inquiry into morality and mortality.
Explore more on Film Comment: