Cambodia

World and Town

mandy — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

It is really tough to review Gish Jen’s World and Town. The novel is, on the one hand, drawn through an interesting narrative focalizer who often takes on the “wordspeak” of the characters that the narrator observes the representational terrain through. So when the narrative is concentrating on the Cambodian American teenager Sophy, we have the narrator constantly employing words such as like and whatever. Typical teenspeak, we might say. On the other hand, the novel has an exceedingly complex and varied topography in terms of its character webs, where Hattie Kong, one of the ostensible protagonists, is looking after a new family that has moved to the area, a small town in the New England area known as Riverlake (somewhat reminiscent of the continuing movement of ethnic minority populations to such towns as Lowell, MA).

This family (of surname Chhung) is ethnically Chinese, but they had resided in Cambodia and thus survived the genocide perpetuated by Pol Pot’s reign under the Khmer Rouge. Hattie, having more free time as a woman near retirement age, takes it upon herself to help the family out as they adjust to the relatively austere weather conditions in the area. The family is made up of the aforementioned teenager daughter, Sophy, who Hattie particularly finds interesting, hopes to make a deep connection with, and even offers to tutor Sophy in Chinese. There is also Sarun, who is also a teenager, and struggles to move beyond the gang life he lived before.

The family patriarch, Ratanak Chhung, seeks to carve out a new start for his family, with his wife, Mum, and the youngest member of their family, an infant boy named Gift. Sophy’s two sisters, Sopheap and Sophan, are both in foster homes, due to various instabilities prior to the Chhung’s move to Riverlake; some of their desires for a new start appear in the form of Sophy’s attempt to make amends for mistakes she perceived that broke the family apart.

Hattie’s own family life is complicated as she is a widower and dealing with fragments of a relationship with a former colleague and scientist, Carter Hatch, who in part, as Hattie perceives it, led to her dismissal from academia. Hattie’s adult son Josh is relatively aloof and is only seen in the backgrounds of the narrative as he navigates a relationship with a younger woman named Serena. The plot’s tension takes shape when Sophy begins to get involved heavily in church, where Christian indoctrination serves to cool her connection to Hattie, who finds organized religion both odious and unproductive. Sarun, too, fails to completely cut ties with his gang past.

Perhaps, because I have been teaching Virginia Woolf this fall, I couldn’t help but think of some similar resonances. There’s quite a bit of interior monologue and free indirect discourse that grounds World and Town, which can slow down and obfuscate the actual plot progression, but the interiorities we are given access to are quite unique and engaging on their own. In this way, like Jen’s The Love Wife, the novel seems far more interested in characterization than on actual linear plot progression.

There is also a sense of Erdrich, too, in Jen’s work to explore the importance of a regional location and its connections to racial minorities. With the richness and familiarity of a small New England town, Jen makes us aware of the importance of land and community, especially in the remarkable section devoted to Everett, one of the old stalwarts and touchstones of Riverlake. This novel requires a patient reader and World and Town cannot be consumed at a quick pace. It seems perfect for the upcoming winter season where we’ll want to swaddle ourselves in blankets and stay in bed on Saturday evenings.

Cross-posted at Asian American Literature Fans

Written by: Stephen Hong Sohn, November 21st 2010

Le Papier ne Peut pas Envelopper la Braise (Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers)

admin — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 07:54:00 +0000

Directed by Rithy Panh

[Paper Cannot Wrap up Embers] provides a numbing portrait of the everyday lives of young Cambodian women who have been forced into prostitution in the aftermath of decades of war and genocide. Their lives are characterized by drug abuse, chronic health problems, and violence and brutality experienced at the hands of their “clients.” The film opens with scenes of a girl crying and shows the women sleeping and eating lunch with their babies at their sides.

As is common for documentaries these days, the film is not narrated and consists entirely of interviews and scenes of women going about their daily lives: eating, sleeping, putting on make up, and taking “ma” (methamphetamine) in order to anesthetize themselves enough to go to work. In the absence of contextualizing narration, and lacking an understanding of the recent history of Cambodia, it was difficult for me as a viewer to feel I had more than a very superficial understanding of the socio-political situation that has prompted such poverty and misery to become part of daily life. Instead I was simply struck by the overwhelming resignation felt by most of the women.

The women understand the reason this has happened to them is because they were born poor and they don’t see any way out of it. This is the most striking and disturbing aspect of [Paper Cannot Wrap up Embers]. Even as the women describe enduring horrific situations (and there are many in this film), they tend to do so with either an air of detachment or else with raw physical pain, as in the scene when one of the women comes back from a painful abortion and can’t stop crying, saying “It feels like my uterus has been ripped to shreds.”

In one of the few mentions of the Khmer Rouge, one woman’s mother stops by the brothel and describes how much worse poverty was during that time: “You think your life is tough? You have to put up with it! If you’d been born under the Khmer Rouge, you’d have starved to death or been executed. Today you sell yourself to buy rice by the kilo. When will all this end? I feel helpless.”

This documentary is difficult to watch because it leaves the viewer feeling helpless as well. Part of me wishes they would have ended on a more hopeful note, or suggested ways for the viewer to get involved to better the lives of these women. Films like this can be overwhelming to some people and make them prefer ignorance because of the feeling of powerlessness over the situation.

On the other hand, I think the filmmaker portrayed the situation honestly and realistically, and sometimes reality is very painful to watch. I hope [Paper Cannot Wrap up Embers] inspires some viewers to learn more about life in Cambodia and about the global problems of prostitution and sex slavery. If nothing else, perhaps it offers a shred of dignity to these women by giving them a medium through which they can speak for themselves.

Written by: Liz Simmons, September 21st 2009

Lonely Planet Southeast Asia: On A Shoestring

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:42:00 +0000

By Lonely Planet

Published just two months before the cyclone disaster in Myanmar (Burma), questions of safety regarding whether or not to go to the politically and ethically wrought country are best answered on the Lonely Planet website. Along with Myanmar, this impressive 14th Edition of the Southeast Asia on a Shoestring travel guide addresses the Southeastern kingdoms of Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. If you are off on a backpacking trip, and are strapped for cash, this small, but heavy gem of a book is what you are looking for.

Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is written by a group of experienced traveller-adventurers and covers a range of ‘need to know’ material on each country. These include what to see, quick facts, and recent events, which is followed by historical and cultural information, religion, arts, environment, and transport. The rundown of each kingdom’s historical background is outstanding; the authors have done a great job in compressing thorough accounts of the past and present in such limited space.

Splayed across double pages at the beginning of this paperback is a coloured map of the continent with helpful descriptions of top sights to visit or activities to do at particular destinations. Local maps mainly of central cities too are provided—good eyesight however is recommended as street names are printed in what seems like microscopic fonts. Scams to avoid are also highlighted and there is a section for women and gay travellers with useful notes on dangers to watch out for.

The guide’s humorous approach throughout makes it an amusing and light-hearted read. Some pages though may invoke a slight annoyance owing to a repetitive moral tone in such sections as "Responsible Travel" and "Do’s and Don’ts" and other 'should or should not' language that suffuse the writing, most of which is common sense practice—like telling western women not to bathe topless in Islamic-run areas.

The Southeast Asia directory wonderfully summarises toward the end of the book what you should expect from your stay abroad, with information offered on climate, accommodation, toilets, electricity, activities, courses, and volunteering – all of which are given greater attention in earlier chapters.

Southeast Asia on a Shoestring is a valuable guidebook that, additionally, lists important everyday phrases in the nine main languages spoken in the region. Still, best not to rely too much on every fact that is presented, as some details are likely to be outdated from the time of writing. But all in all, this is a well-structured and condensed manual with easy to follow and convenient information. This storehouse of a book is surely for keeps.

Written by: Payal Patel, June 17th 2008

Underpass

admin — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 23:22:00 +0000

Directed by Rain Breaw

Underpass is a fifteen-minute film about a Cambodian family (survivors of the “Killing Fields”) trying to survive in the USA while also assisting an illegal immigrant, possibly from Mexico. It is about trying to stay sane in a violent world. It is about trying to play by the rules, and still be humane. It is about living with your nightmares.

There is a brilliant colorful thread, which runs throughout this story – the art of the main character, Sann. His art is illegal. He paints pictures under a bridge, hence the title Underpass. What he paints is both beautiful and horrible. He is trying to live with his memories of Cambodia. The resolution, and how the boy comes to terms with his memories of the Cambodian “Killing Fields,” is within his artwork under the bridge! We, the viewers, see the drawings come to life. We see the people killed; blood is spilled. You soon realize that the animation is Sann’s artwork. It is the plot of the film unfolding.

Sann’s mother, who runs a doughnut shop in San Diego, is trying to help an illegal immigrant. The boy wants to turn the illegal immigrant in, but his mother believes “others helped us survive. We should help others…” His mother and sister get along well in the community. There’s a police officer, who comes to the store and talks to the mother. He is also a Cambodian native. He is supportive of the mother, but Sann is hostile towards him.

The conflict within Sann’s psyche is interesting. He is fighting the system (painting his graffiti), and yet combating his memories. Why would he want to turn in the illegal immigrant? Is he afraid of the system here? For someone who lives with the scars of what war and government does, it is a little strange that he would want to turn in this immigrant. However, at one point - and this is depicted in the artwork - Sann finds peace. He regrets that he called the authorities. He tells the immigrant to run. Why Sann makes this impulsive decision is not clear. He begs his mother’s forgiveness, and she does forgive.

My only real problem with this film (besides hating to see bloodshed) is that sometimes the characters mumble. However, that also makes the film more “real.” Real people do not speak clearly! Rain Breaw attended, as she puts it “one of the most diverse schools in the country.” Almost every student in this high school has experienced war and genocide, firsthand. Underpass is loosely based on Breaw’s experience at this high school.

Breaw has produced numerous short films, including the award winning Thermopylae and Archer House. Presently, Breaw and her writing/producing partner, Julie Sifuentes, are working on two feature film projects: Bearing it All and City Heights.

I would recommend Underpass because it is a reminder of what America really is – a melting pot of different cultures. Since the birth of this nation, we have been a nation of immigrants. It’s ironic, don’t you think, considering the present day conservative backlash against immigrants? Watch Underpass for a glimpse of the real USA.

Written by: Patricia Ethelwyn Lang, July 11th 2007

Bare Hands and Wooden Limbs: Healing, Recovery and Reconciliation in Cambodia

admin — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 00:18:00 +0000

Directed by Alison McMahan

The documentary is a shocking, consciousness-raising and eyes-opening movie. It is the true story of people living in post-war Cambodia, who try to re-build their country after years of dictatorship and fear. It is shows how they prepare the land to build new houses, how they clean the ground from millions of landmines and, finally, how they managed to make both ends meet. The viewer sees how the people learn new professions to survive and earn the living – some learn how to deal with livestock, some learn how to plough and others make tools. There might not be anything amazing about this if it was not for this particular little town – Veal Thom.

Veal Thom is a town created completely by landmines survivors, who lost their legs, hands or eyes while “meeting” planted landmines on their way to the shop, work or just taking a casual walk. The film is filled with interviews with the citizens of Veal Thom, who tell the stories of their lives and why they decided to join the amputees’ community. Most often reasons for it are lack of discrimination, feeling of unity, support and the fact of not being looked down on or treated as deformed, weird creatures unable to lead independent life. Moreover, people living in the town fought on different sides during the war and what is important now they are able to live next to each other, sharing and learning from one another.

Everyone should see this film for it is touching, beautiful form, and it teaches us how to overcome prejudices, weakness and that it is crucial to believe in oneself. Equality, understanding and cooperation can do miracles and create something amazing, regardless of the circumstances.

Written by: Monika Grzywnowicz, March 31st 2007