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Updated September 16, 2009: I didn’t get to watch Nerakhoon, the Betrayal film when it aired in July on PBS, and pre-ordered my copy from the Cinema Guild. They mailed it out on September 1st, and I got it several days later but didn’t get to watch it with my sisters until the past Saturday. I didn’t know what to expect but was looking forward to seeing my old neighborhood, and one of my friends had mentioned to me that he didn’t realize how bad it was when I was talking about my old neighborhood and my childhood growing up until he saw the documentary film.
After watching the film, I was not moved by the life in the US, might be that it was something that we’ve experienced also since we lived in the same neighborhood, same building, and same sponsor that brought us to the US. But we were not as bad off, we were fortunate that we had both our parents at the time, and my parents, especially my mom had been a good role model for us, we’ve come a long way. Also, I feel that it’s a choice that we made in life, it comes with consequences and we might not be able to see it at the time. When you’re young, you think you’re invincible, I recalled hearing about being “21 and die” growing up and that’s the mentality of many that join gangs, I don’t know if they think living past 21 is considered old, like over the hill.
The life struggled of the family leaving Laos was very moving to me, once again we had it easy in comparison to them. When Ai Thavi’s grandmother looked at the chicken’s feet to foretell the path and future is new to me, it’s almost comical when she said that his path was wide open because the feet were spread out, it was time for him to leave, and he left. The image of the family united at the concentration camp in Thailand was also moving, an image of a mother that had to make a decision of leaving her two children and her husband behind, one being only 3 years old, she was one brave woman.
The most touching moment to me was when their father visited them in New York, and also the most heart breaking moment when he had to leave to be with his other family in Florida, to me this is Nerakhoon (betrayal), but yet in the Lao culture, are we allowed to make such a statement about our own father that he is Nerakhoon to his family, or is it the children that are Nerakhoon when they feel anger toward the man that gave them life? But this is clearly not the main point, please note that I didn’t miss the main point of this documentary film, that it was meant to bring into light or expose the secrete war that the American Government failed to acknowledge that it ever happened, and that the Nerakhoon was the betrayal that the family feel when they came to America, they feel abandoned by the American Government. But isn’t it part of life to struggle, or is it fair to think that America owe us?
There are other aspects of this documentary film that’s considered Nerakhoon (the Betrayal), and I’m sure we all have our own perspective on this, whether it be political or personal.
Posted July 21, 2009: A reminder from MissPhom, The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is airing tonight on PBS, please check your local listings, as for me it’s 10 PM (I think, but I can’t seem to find it on my local listing, so I might not get to watch it) Thavisouk was my neighbor in Brooklyn, NY, so this was my old neighborhood and looking forward to seeing his life on film.
When things are plentiful all sins are forgiven, but when the tides are low, things get washed up on shore, it’s not a pretty sight, and not related to this movie, but something that I’ve been thinking about today.
Lee and I saw Ponyo last night at Carmike Cinemas, the movie is kind of pricey this day, it’s $8.50 for adult and $6.50 for children, that’s $15 plus the overpriced popcorn and soda. Almost made you not want to go out to a movie, but I learned something new yesterday, we should have gone on Tuesday instead because they have a Stimulus Tuesday’s program that the theater chain are selling 16 ounce sodas or 46 ounce popcorn for only $1 a piece, not bad at all.
Ponyo in Japanese is translated to Ponyo on the Cliff. The movie that we saw is in English, I wonder if it’d be better in the original version, Japanese with English subtitle, but then it’d be very difficult for Lee to follow. She enjoys the movie, I think it’s right in her alley. As for me, I wish the main characters are a bit older, they’re 5 year old, but living in the world that anything is possible. Perhaps this is the best part about the movie, the beauty of a child’s innocence that most of us adult are lacking this day. Children tend to speak their mind, whether it be love, hate, sad, happiness, or fear, they are not afraid to show their true emotions, something that most of us had lost through the years.
This is Miyazaki’s eighth film for Ghibli, and his tenth overall. Miyazaki’s artwork is beautiful, I absolutely love the peaceful scenery by the ocean, then it turns into madness like human emotions. Ponyo is a story inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Already a box-office success in Japan, the plot centers on a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy So-suke and wants to become a human girl, to read more.
Images source.
My youngest sister and I are a big fan of Anne of Green Gables, and she emailed me these pictures, and said, “Just in case if you’re wondering what they look like. I don’t think anyone else would know who I’m talking about.” But I bet that there are many out there that are also a big fan of Anne of Green Gables, who could forget Anne, spelling with an ‘e’.
Watch the original Anne of Green Gables
This is the first real Lao movie in 33 years, and hoping that this will launch pad for a cultural revival. Sabaidee Luang Prabang is a Lao/Thai movie stars Bangkok-based Australian-Lao, Ananda Everingham and Lao beauty queen Khamly Philavong. As for most of us that don’t live in Thailand, it might take 6 months or more before we’ll get to see the movie, but for those that live in Thailand, the movie was released on June 5, 2008.
Wutthiphan lives in Bangkok, Thailand and saw Sabaidee Luang Prabang on June 5, and he is kind enough to do a review for us, his blog posting of Sabaidee Luang Prabang is written in Thai Language, translated by Ginger.
After seeing the commercial of the movie ‘Sabaidee Luang Prabang’ whilst I was watching TV from one of the channels, as soon as I heard the name of the movie, it got my attention, and I turned toward the TV and saw one of the scenes, which is the waterfall at Kon Prapeng or waterfall in Southern Laos that I visited in the past and that’s why I’ve had a special interest in this movie. I told myself then that I have to see this movie, the first day showing was June 5, 2551, aka 2008 which is the day that I had to pay my electric bill, last day before the cut off, and I decided to go pay the power bill, and see the movie afterward.
On June 5, after paying the power bill, I headed to see the movie at Major Movie Theater at Central Praram II, and the mall opens at 11 am. When I got there, it just open, the first show was at 11:30 am. I’m not sure if this show is too early in comparison to the time that the mall opens, needless to say, this show has the atmosphere of being in the cemetery, there were approximately 11 viewers, so there is plenty of elbow and leg room, if I stretch my legs and arms out, it wouldn’t bother anyone.
The movie started, after seeing several previews (it’d not be worth it if you don’t get here on time and missed the beginning) As for me, I don’t have a high expectation for this movie except that I want to watch it for the old time sake, to refresh my memory of my previous trip to Laos that is a similar path as this movie.
This movie is a story of Sorn (Ananda Everingham), a photographer (Journalist) who is Lao-Australian, his boss gave him an assignment to go take pictures in Laos, which he didn’t want this assignment at all. Sorn then hires a tour guide named Noy (Khamly Philavong) to show him the country and also to provide him with information about various locations. The first part is in Southern parts of Laos, from Pakxe, waterfall Kon Prapeng, LeePee, Si Phan Don (Four Thousand islands), then heading up North to Luang Prabang, then the story of love across the Mekong River begins.
Besides the beauty that nature has to offer, Noy or Khamly Philavong is adorable. She is extremely attractive, and looks so natural, she doesn’t wear lots of make up, and she dressed very nice, she still wear Sinh (Lao tubular skirt), if I have to say in comparison to Thai celebrities that compete to be ghostly thin (but big racks), dressed too revealing and showing off too much skin, this is not strange at all because in the eyes of some viewers that only see Thai celebrities as some sort of machine that help to alleviate their lust or boredom, the older people get left behind, and replaced by newer faces, not much appreciation or things to remember them by, but this is not to say that all are like that because there are many good ones out there.
Lao movie stars recently gain popularity, still new in the world of entertainment (drama) so there is not much competition, might be because it’s still in the beta phrase, only time will tell.
With that said, I’m falling in love with her also, hahaha. After several that said to me, “just not too long ago you were talking about your noung Alexandra, change your mind that fast?” Just for the record, I’m keeping both hehehe.
I’m thinking that this movie will not make it big at the box office, but I’m rooting for this movie because I want to see more of this type of movie so that there are more selections for viewers, at least there is a way out. Read the rest of this entry »
This is from Manager online, April 2, 2008, written in Thai Language, translated by Ginger.
She has recently become known to Thai people, and now Alexandra Bounxouei, a superstar from Laos has bid her fans farewell, and left for Japan on Tuesday, April 1, 2008, it will take her about 2.5 years to complete her study.
Alexandra has completed her bachelor degree from a Lao-American College in Vientiane and she told Manager Online that “pursuing her education in Japan has always been a life long dream of Sandra,” (a Lao-Bulgarian), and she received her bachelor degree in March 2007 (Thai year: 2550).
After the Lakorn ‘Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong,’ that was aired last year, Sandra has returned to Thailand once more to play in a lakorn, ‘Ray Rai Louk Sao Pa’ directed by producer Thongchai Prasongsun, which will be aired on Thai TV, channel 7 on April 4th and she will not be here to view the first episode.
According to work point Entertainment that claimed to have interviewed the superstar on the left side of Mekong River, this is what Alexandra said, “As a matter of fact, Sandra have been planning to study abroad for quiet some time, so everything is prepared in advance, including the time slots for ‘Ray Rai Louk Sao Pa’, let just say that after the filming of the last episode, Sandra will be leaving right away.”
Sandra will be studying Media Design at Keio University School of Media Design in Tokyo.
“Normally, Sandra like to learn about IT, especially in the Internet area because the courses that Sandra will be studying can be used to create a new technique, a new way of communication, as we can see that currently there are various ways of communication…”
“I’ll miss acting, and all my fans, many from the fan club don’t want Sandra to go, but for my future, I have to choose education first”
Even though Alexandra receives a warm welcome from her fans in Thailand, but she still receives harsh comments from her own people in Laos, even from the officials that mentioned that Alexandra should act more tradition, and not dressed too revealing, sort of verbally reprimanding her of how she is presenting herself is ‘not considered normal’ for a Lao girl to be hugging with a foreigner in a public places in front of other people.
As for the latter statement, it is believed to have come from the images of Alexandra’s romantic scenes with Thai actor from her previous Lakorn, which is not socially acceptable amongst the Lao culture.
Before this, Sandra was paired with Weir, but this time a new leading man, Cee Siwat, who has become a household name for Lakorn viewers, and the plot of these 2 Lakorns are totally different, from playing a role of a tour guide in ‘Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong’ to playing the role of ‘Ray Rai’ a daughter of a local forest villager, and another lead actor is Nom Rapeepat who plays the role of Priavanh, RayRai’s childhood friend that grew up together, which Priavanh has a crush on Ray Rai all these years, and they have many friends rooting for them that creates lots of fun and excitement, a Lakorn in the style of producer Thongchai Prasongsun.
Source: โดย ผู้จัดการออนไลน์ 2 เมษายน 2551 17:00 น, Manager Online, April 2, 2008.
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