Canadian Premiere
A young Bunong woman and her older brother spend one last day in their rural Cambodian village before a move to the city in search of a more prosperous life. This is an almost documentary-like look at two very different people: he is an unsympathetic realist whereas she is connected to nature and spirituality. It’s a relaxed and languid observational drama about the distances—both metaphorical and literal—that exist within our lives, our surroundings, and how we view our ancestry. The beautiful scenery, the landscapes of solitude, and an overall feeling of despair and hope combined are evoked with very little dialogue. The film is reminiscent of Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria, unspooling information through beautiful camerawork and an intricate but unadorned sound design.
Community Partner
Bopha Oul, Phanny Loem
Cambodia
2022
In Bunong and Khmer with English subtitles
Featured in:
International Shorts: Family Ties
The bonds of family form the basis of this program of short films. Bonds with history and responsibility—sometimes close, sometimes strained—now and for the future.
Missing VIFF? Check out what’s playing at the VIFF Centre
Credits
Producer
Sophea Kim, Daniel Mattes, Davy Chou
Screenwriter
Polen Ly
Cinematography
Polen Ly
Editor
Kavich Neang
Director
Polen Ly
Polen Ly paused his studies in medicine to pursue his filmmaking path in 2012. He has directed several shorts and documentaries which explore social issues related to the environment and human rights, including LGBT+ and Indigenous experiences. His short film Colourful Knots (2015) won first prize at Tropfest South East Asia in Malaysia. In 2018, Ly joined the Asian Film Academy in Busan, Korea. His documentary short, Side by Side (2021), was selected in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival. Ly is now in early production on his first full-length documentary, The Tongue of Water.