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Sompot Chidgasornpongse spent nearly two decades under the tutelage of mentor Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He’s credited as assistant director on such masterworks as Tropical Malady, Syndromes and a Century, and Memoria. 9 Temples to Heaven is a natural extension of the Thai slow-cinema god’s technique, but even more, it’s a beautiful showcase of Sompot’s distinct artistry, as well as his wry sense of humor. After a fortune teller warns Sakol that his elderly mother may die soon, he sets out on a Sangkatan, a traditional Thai Buddhist merit-making ritual where gifts are presented to clergy at a set number of monasteries. Over the course of this one-day marathon pilgrimage, Sakol and wife, brother, sister, children, and ailing mother return to the city where they used to live and attempt to visit nine temples in succession. As the day wears on, the ritual becomes more grueling and impractical, revealing each person’s stake in the outcome, as well as the limits of their beliefs. Across this meditative and amusing road movie, Chidgasornpongse is attuned to the subtle contrasts between the various monks and temples, drawing out the enchanting beauty of the settings while revealing gradations within this spiritual practice—the good, the bad, and the lightly absurd. ~OO