Change Your Image
Michael-269
Reviews
La terre des âmes errantes (2000)
Cambodians dig for their past and future
In 1999 a fibre-glas wire was installed from Thailand to Vietnam straight trough Cambodia. Rithy Panh shows us the work done in Cambodia to connect Khmer-society to "modern world". Farmers, soldiers and children work for a living there and unearthen skulls and bones -their remains from PolPot-regime you can see.
The fear in their mind is portrayed by Rithy Panh in this documentary. As the other work done by Rithy Panh this deals with his people. I like it very much! The movie was awarded 1999 at "Visions du Réel" in Nyon (Switzerland) and at "Cinéma du Réel" in Paris.
Un soir après la guerre (1998)
War-torn Cambodia - undistorted view, full of hope -
A Cambodian soldier returns from war right into buzzling, dirty Phnom Penh . He has no money, shelter and girl, like most of the soldiers. He finds love, but in times of facing poverty, love becomes a thing you cannot aford. Camera-work and dialogues are great as in Neak Sre, the plot sometimes weakens. For what I like this movie, are the contrasts of love and hate, loneliness and family, hope and resignation. Ugly but also lovely. You have to see it, to feel it !
Neak sre (1994)
Stunning !!!
Neak Sre by Rithy Panh shows the life of an ordinary Cambodian rice-farmer and his family. When the father dies after being infected by a thorn, the family has an even harder life to face. They just struggle to survive. But life has to go on... Beautifully shot in Cambodia, with gorgeous panaramic countryside and nice camera-work. The stunning opening-scene with a girl in a lake full of waterlilies you will never forget. Well chosen dialogues and Rithy Panh's way of telling (sad) stories will make this movie to one of my all-time-favourites. If someone wonders what may have happened to those farmers if they migrated to Phnom Penh, I will say Cambodians just love their soil to death, but if you get the chance to see Pahn's Un soir après la guerre, you get that aspect, too. A Soldier returns from battle to PP and have to face poverty,crime and love. My hope is that Rithy Panh gets a bigger audience and his movies are screened more often. Watch this one !!!
Xích lô (1995)
Just a masterpiece of cinematography
I've seen this movie for several times, and can't get enough of it. There are a lot of reviews here, I mostly can agree with (redanit and others). So I will just add some thoughts of mine. The camerawork, composition, acting and plot(s) are all absolutely exceptional, the (Vietnamese) cultural aspects about family (father-mother-child) are omni-present (mentioned by redanit, also "the egg"); HCMC is a really captivating,noisy and ugly city in this movie, but Tran Anh Hung also shows the "other side" of Vietnam in his new one, "À la verticale de l'été", again on family and relation. Tran Anh Hung has created a real masterpiece with Cyclo (Xich-Lo), worth 10 for sure ! See it and you will know why Vietnam has banned this one !