Under Milk Wood

Under Milk Wood is a surreal, dream-like experience. Adapted from Dylan Thomas's celebrated radio play, it takes place in a small fishing village on the coast of Wales, where numerous residents are preoccupied with their dreams and fantasies. Importantly, the film doesn't unfold in a conventional manner - it plays out as a succession of abstract sequences that jump from character to character. As you might expect, each sequence is accompanied by Thomas's lyrical, evocative prose poetry, most of which is narrated to us by Rhys Ifans. The result is a fairly unusual film that can be difficult to follow, and there are times when it feels like a long, continuous montage. Every scene is filled with striking imagery and rich, descriptive language, but the whole thing grows relatively exhausting after a while. Perhaps you can have too much of a good thing.