In this documentary, filmmaker Thavisouk Phrasavath details the painful story of how he and his family faced hardship and poverty as Laotian refugees during the Vietnam War. Combining interviews and archival footage, Phrasavath explores not only the experience of betrayal that his family endured when they were forced to flee their homeland, but the larger scheme of geopolitics that put the events into play. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi
Self-consciously poetic and shot within a luscious inch of its life, the film's also an engrossing heartbreaker: a family saga that spans continents, political administrations, and decades of travail to arrive at a harder, wiser place.
The touching music (which includes quasi-choral chants) completes a film that, despite its tough subject matter, is life-affirming in the best possible way.
[Betrayal's] saga, told with soul-stirring specificity, is also in a sense the history of 20th century bloodshed and dislocation, hauntingly anticipated in 5,000-year-old Lao prophecies.
A warts and all expose' designed to leave you outraged about the way America treats naive allies and about the unresolved, ugly fallout of the Vietnam conflict.
...meditative images from renowned cinematographer Kuras skillfully mixed with archival footage, stills and talking heads by editor Thavi into a story with so many shocks and ironies that it resonates in waves after the telling.
Although slow in its delivery, "Betrayal" delivers a stinging criticism of life in America. When foreigners come here for freedom, they may get more freedom than they wanted.
"Somewhere within the countless hours of footage shot for the project is a truly stunning movie that sheds light on America's imperialism. Sadly, it's not there on the screen."
The filmmakers, plying the easier path of sentimentality, never explore the psychological complexity of the disenfranchisement suffered by the Phrasavaths. Instead, they emphasize the everyday humiliations of poverty%u2014the better to place blame.
Epic story of one man and his war-torn family, across continents, decades, and cultures, with the director remarkably along through 24 tumultuous years.
Directed by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath, "The Betrayal" is a moving documentary, 23 years in the making. Generally, the film is interested in the promise of the United States and how sadly it often goes unfulfilled, especially as it applies to the country and people of Laos, a near-forgotten part of the wars
the United States was fighting in Southeast Asia until 1975.(Even though no American combat troops were on the ground in the country, there was still an incredible amount of bombs dropped.) As the larger history lesson is presented in the background illustrated by archival footage(of special note is Kennedy and Nixon both lying), the story of Thavisouk's family is told in the foreground. Thavisouk's father fought with the American supported guerrillas in favor of the royal government and against the Pathet Lao insurgency. When the United States left, the government fell and Thavisouk's father was sent to a reeducation camp while Thavisouk escaped across the Mekong River to relative safety in Thailand. His mother, fearing she was next, escaped but had to leave two of her daughters behind. The family reunited in Thailand before moving on to the United States. After fleeing the violence of war, they now had to face the violence of gangs on the streets of Brooklyn.
November 24, 2008
Walter M.
Super Reviewer
2. The Betrayal(Nerhatoon) Sun Jan 11, 2009 Starz #7 2:20pm Chris A- 92 :fresh:
I liked this documentary. The pacing was slower than your average doc, but it ended up being a well conceived method of revealing surprising information and giving the story more density and complexity. It took 23 years for this movie
to be made and that alone should be reason enough to see it. Although anyone interested in stories related to the aftermath of the Vietnam War, should definitely check this out.
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