In April the Following Year, There Was a Fire

In this haunting, boldly digressive debut from Thai director Wichanon Somumjarn, a young man returns to his rural home town after a disaffected stretch in Bangkok. Somumjarn is a collaborator of Anocha Suwichakornpong, and, much like that other Thai director’s 2010 debut ‘Mundane History’, this film is an intoxicating, sometimes challenging blend of humdrum domestic routine and resonant personal insight. There are longeurs, and the ruminative tone requires patience, but ‘In April…’ undoubtedly marks the arrival of a distinctive new voice.