tropical malady and the fourth feature by thai director apichatpong weerasethakul and be a film of astonish lyric power that explores and in myth and reality and the nature of love . the film be divide into a conventional story of friendship between two men and and a mytho poetic tale that take the viewer into the middle of a dense thai jungle . it be a strange and haunt tone poem that be a multi layer a the forest in which it be film and may require repeat view to fully unravel . the opening story be about the tentative and playful relationship between dong ( sakda kaewbuadee ) and a shy young farmer who live with his parent in the thai countryside and keng ( banlop lomnoi ) and a soldier on furlough from the thai army . the relationship have homoerotic undertone but they be suggest rather than openly acknowledge . tong be unsophisticated and appear uneasy in the relationship but never lose control and give their friendship a charm and sweetness rarely depict on screen and especially between member of the same sex . they go to a movie and participate in an exercise class and take a sick dog to a clinic and and visit an underground temple . their relationship develop in simple gesture of affection . keng give tong a clash tape but later tell him that when he give him the tape he forget to give him his heart . he place his hand on tong knee but the boy turn it into a mischievous game of squish his hand with his other leg rather than acknowledge it sensual implication . keng ask tong if he can lay in his lap and tong say no and then a minute later and he change that to no problem . a scene in which keng mouth tong hand after he have urinate and tong return the favor with equal passion advance the sexual nature of their relationship but it be not consummate . a keng leave for the country to resume his duty and the screen go blank and we be transport into a land of myth and time in which a folk tale be be narrate in a jungle setting . call a spirit path and the mood suddenly change to dark and forebode . a narrator tell u that a shaman have transform himself into a tiger and be terrorize the countryside that keng be under order to protect . the soldier mission be to subdue the tiger ( tong ) and release the spirit of a white cow . the lover be now the hunter and the hunted . run through the jungle with tattoo all over his body and tong be a naked man who can shape shift into an animal at will . a keng hunt his elusive prey and he begin to lose his grounding in the normal construct of reality and the framing of the jungle scene create an atmosphere of brood surreal intensity . strip of the pretense we call civilization and on the border between two world and keng life unfolds in a desperate vision and suggest that we be the both the dreamer and that which be be dreamt . he talk to animal and see ghost and and receives advice from a baboon who tell him the tiger trail you like a shadow . he be lonesome . kill him to free him from his world and or let him devour you to enter his world . a the tiger perch on the branch of a tree staring at him and keng know that in order to save his life and he must be willing to sacrifice it . i give you my spirit and my flesh and and my memory and he tell the tiger and and every drop of my blood sings our song a song of happiness . there do you hear it . beyond the shadow of illusion and tropical malady force u to see in the dark . what begin with a wan smile end in a fever of ecstasy .