science

Syndromes and a Century

Syndromes and a Century is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Syndromes and a Century rather than just read about it. In short: Syndromes and a Century (Thai: แสงศตวรรษ, S̄æng ṣ̄atawǎat, literally Light of the Century) is a 2006 Thai drama film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film was among the works commissioned for Peter Sellars' New Crowned Hope festival in Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Key takeaways

Syndromes and a Century belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Syndromes and a Century to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Syndromes and a Century from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Syndromes and a Century (Thai: แสงศตวรรษ, S̄æng ṣ̄atawǎat, literally Light of the Century) is a 2006 Thai drama film written and directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. The film was among the works commissioned for Peter Sellars' New Crowned Hope festival in Vienna to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It premiered on August 30, 2006, at the 63rd Venice Film Festival. The film is a tribute to the director's parents and is divided into two parts, with the characters and dialogue in the second half essentially the same as the first, but the settings and outcome of the stories different. The first part is set in a hospital in rural Thailand, while the second half is set in a Bangkok medical center. "The film is about transformation, about how people transform themselves for the better," Apichatpong said in an interview. In Thailand, Syndromes and a Century became controversial after the Board of Censors demanded that four scenes be cut in order for the film to be shown commercially. The director refused to cut the film and withdrew it from domestic release. Since then, the director had agreed to a limited showing in Thailand where the cut scenes were replaced with a black screen to protest and inform the public about the issues of censorship.

Plot It is a poetic, two-part film based on the filmmaker’s parents—both doctors—and his memories of growing up in hospital environments.

Cast Nantarat Sawaddikul as Dr. Toey Jaruchai Iamaram as Dr. Nohng Nu Nimsomboon as Toa Sophon Pukanok as Noom, the orchid expert Jenjira Pongpas as Pa Jane Arkanae Cherkam as Dentist Ple Sakda Kaewbuadee as Monk Sakda Sin Kaewpakpin as Old Monk

Production

Origins "It's a film about heart," the director told the Bangkok Post. "It's not necessarily about love, it's more about memory. It's about feelings that have been forever etched in the heart." It was originally entitled Intimacy and Turbulence and was to be an autobiographical look at his mother and father, who were both physicians working in a hospital in Khon Kaen, Thailand. But the director revised that concept when he cast the actors and began filming. The story still focuses on a male and female doctor, and is dedicated to the director's parents, but is set in two hospitals 40 years apart and explores both the memories and current lives of the protagonists. "I began with my parents' story, but it has sprung to other things," Apichatpong said in an interview. "When I met the actors, when I found the location, there were other stories combined and added in. I try not to limit it. I allow it to flow whichever way it goes. It is very exciting."

Reception

Critical reception The film has an 89% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 44 reviews and an average rating of 7.60/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Despite having little in the way of narrative, Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Syndromes is a poignant and mesmerizing memoir." Metacritic gives it a score of 71 out of 100, based on seven reviews. Screen Daily noted the enigmatic, non-existent narrative while praising the film's technical aspects.

Top ten lists The British Film Institute's Sight & Sound year-end poll for 2007 had Syndromes and a Century tied for seventh best with four other films. Syndromes also appeared on several critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2007.

1st – David Ansen, Newsweek 3rd – Nathan Lee, The Village Voice 5th – Wesley Morris, The Boston Globe 10th – Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club In November 2009, the film was named by Toronto International Film Festival's Cinematheque as the best of the decade, as voted by more than sixty international film historians, archivists, curators, and programmers. In BBC's 2016 poll of the greatest films since 2000, Syndromes and a Century ranked 60th.

Thai reception and censorship

A limited theatrical release in Bangkok was originally slated for April 19, 2007, but was indefinitely delayed after the Board of Censors demanded the removal of four scenes. Apichatpong refused to cut the film and withdrew it from domestic circulation. He explained his reasons for doing so in an article in the Bangkok Post:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Syndromes and a Century

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Syndromes and a Century claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Syndromes and a Century before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Syndromes and a Century ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Syndromes and a Century

In research: Syndromes and a Century appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Syndromes and a Century in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Syndromes and a Century is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2006 Thai-language films, 2006 Thai films, 2006 drama films, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Syndromes and a Century outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Syndromes and a Century in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Syndromes and a Century means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Syndromes and a Century out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Syndromes and a Century in simple terms?

Why does Syndromes and a Century matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Syndromes and a Century?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Syndromes and a Century.