A sickly
young woman named Chanthaly has visions of her dead mother, a suicide
victim. But she does not know if the apparitions are caused by her medications
or if her mother is attempting to reach out from beyond the grave. Although
there are some horror elements, this stylistic film is more of a cultural
drama that plays into the superstitions of the Lao people. It is the
debut project for Mattie Do, co-written by her British husband Christopher
Larsen.
This
film is unlike other ghost stories of recent memory. It takes time to
open doors and explore death in a unique way, with the spirits lingering
rather than attacking. Director Mattie Do has created a stunning
motion picture here, despite numerous strikes against her. She's a woman
attempting to make a film in a man's world, in Laos where frankly very
few movies are produced. And she is forced to deal with government rules
which impose restrictions to the horror genre. The Marxist regime makes
it nearly impossible to include any kind of "supernatural element
as the central theme to a film." Yet, Mattie Do manages to rise
above the difficulties and produce an extraordinary movie.
A
Laos film with English subtitles; widescreen format,
uncut (98 min.), DVD encoded for ALL REGION NTSC, playable on any American
machine.
Extras include selected trailers.
Sexual
Situations/Violence/Suicide
For Mature Audiences
