Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s multi-channel short film Primitive was first shown in 2009. The following year, his feature film Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Now Primitive is making its way to Hong Kong. The short compiles video from a village in Thailand called Nabua, a place that militia occupied for nearly 20 years after government officials designated the villagers as communists. During the military’s time in the village, residents were abused both physically and emotionally. Primitive shifts the focus away from that history of Nabua, instead depicting modern teenagers as they carry out their lives and yearn for the near future. —Zack Hauptman