Uc Maymun (3 Monkeys)

This perfectly good film, a slow moving one, has two key themes running through it; that of the question of Oedipus, and that of the movements of departure and distance.
The action takes a while to settle on a character. There is an excellent opening scene, which establishes the idea of departure and also the overwhelming fate and metaphysical sadness that will be repeated in the final scene.
When we do hook on we hook onto a young man, having set up his family situation, and we have a fine portrayal of the distance there is between him and his mother. This is well done, the director uses many long, still shots, leaving the (serviceable) actors space to breathe. This is real art house realism. We have a growing affectionate relationship, a very sweet scene where the mother and son watch TV together, and an interesting development of the estarngement of growing up.
The piece then takes a distinctly Oedipal turn. The whole film actually is a pretty close rendition of Hamlet; the ghost-like father, the usurper, the vengeful son.
While we have had an excellent forty minutes odd of the son, he suddenly dissapears, barely to be seen again. The film isn't quite sure what to do now, and it spends the rest of the film toying with the father and the mother. This initially looks like it will be a complete collapse, but there are still good moments. Especially the bedroom scene, and the father's increasingly pathetic night wanderings.
This film features characratcers who spend their whole time departing, going away. Even in the same space, there are often seperate foreground/background relations, characters not looking at each other. Many shots feature just on character. Do they wish to connect? Their each pathetic subservience to the boss indicates more than a hint of social commentary.
As mentioned, this is all tied up with a realist camerawork, that goes in between point of view and a more documentary like farawawy. The film is less succesful when it starts mucking about with colour schemes and slow motions, trying to achieve psychological experience. It is attempt to break up what is otherwise a slow and occasionally ponderous work, which could perhaps have had a little more courage in assertion, a little more power.
Overall though this is a good, thoughtful work.