Apichatpong Weerasethakul “stunned the movie world in May by winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes for his latest film, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. … [Yet he’s] a polarizing figure at home. Not so much for his films, which until recently were barely known among the general public, but for his championing of antigovernment protesters and his critiques of the political establishment.”