Thai cinema has always held a special place in Asian filmmaking, even if Western audiences overlooked it for many years. Early Thai films were often built around folklore, ghost stories, romance, and family drama, mixing spirituality with everyday life. During the 1970s and 1980s, Thai films were extremely popular in their domestic market, but internationally they remained largely overlooked, especially compared to the growing global success of Japanese, Hong Kong, and later South Korean cinema.

Things slowly started to change in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when international film festivals began paying more attention to Southeast Asian cinema. Thai filmmakers started creating more personal films that explored family, politics, and spirituality in subtle but powerful ways. One of the most important figures in this movement is Apichatpong Weerasethakul, whose films have brought Thai cinema to major international festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival. His success helped introduce a new generation of Thai filmmakers to the world.

That same spirit can be felt strongly in 9 Temples to Heaven, a beautifully told film written and directed by Sompot Chidgasornpongse. Screened in Directors’ Fortnight during the Cannes Film Festival, the film follows Sakol (Surachai Ningsanond), a man who hears a prophecy that his elderly mother may die soon. Hoping to protect her, he brings his family together for a one-day journey across nine temples, believing the pilgrimage may help extend her life. Alongside his wife, children, brother, and sister, the family travels across the region carrying flowers, prayers, as well as emotions that they often struggle to express openly.

At first, the story seems very simple as the film focuses on the journey itself. Temple by temple, we follow the family as they pray, wait, eat together, and move through the day, slowly feeling part of their lives. As viewers, we are also introduced to the beauty of Thai culture. The temples are stunning, filled with golden roofs, incense smoke, candles, and detailed architecture. Monks move through prayer halls while city life continues around them. But the film never treats these places like tourist attractions; they are an undeniable part of everyday life, and for the family, they offer comfort and hope.

9 Temples to Heaven is moving because it shows family life in a very honest way. The grandmother grows weaker and more tired as the day goes on, but the family continues the journey together. There are moments of warmth, frustration, silence, and care that seem very real. As the journey continues, the film slowly moves away from whether the ritual can truly save the grandmother and focuses more on the importance of simply being together. The family may not fully understand each other, but they keep trying. The pilgrimage becomes a way for them to spend time together, share memories, and hold onto one another despite the uncertainty of life.

The film also explores how Buddhism and superstition continue to influence modern Thailand. The repeated rituals almost begin to feel symbolic of a country searching for meaning while moving through cycles that never fully end. Yet despite these ideas, the film treats its characters with compassion and understanding. Visually, the film is beautiful in a very calm and natural way. Cinematographer Jonathan Ricquebourg captures the changing light throughout the day, from bright morning sunlight to the darkness of evening. As the light slowly fades, the emotional feeling of the film grows heavier, reminding us that time keeps moving no matter how much we want to hold onto certain moments.

There are clear traces of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s influence, especially as Sompot previously worked on Memoria and Cemetery of Splendour, but 9 Temples to Heaven still feels like its own film.

9 Temples to Heaven is about something universal: the fear of losing the people we love. The family cannot stop time, and deep down, they know that. But they continue the journey anyway, because love is often about trying, showing up, and staying together even when there are no clear solutions. Through this simple journey across nine temples, Sompot not only introduces us to Thai culture, but also to the world of human experience that people everywhere can understand.

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Written by Maggie Gogler

Featured image courtesy of Cannes Film Festival

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