Rising Falcon Cinema
Greg Cahill : "The Golden Voice" (US/CAM,2007)***
This short movie almost gives a snapshot of Ros Sereysothea, one of Cambodia’s favourite singers, at the time of the regime change by the Khmer Rouge, and all the change it would bring. The short story is based upon true facts, also with elements taken from witnesses from people who were there. The movie gives the opportunity to sympathise with the character during the change, but abruptly stops at a time when she is forced to say goodbye to her whole past, leaving a feeling of unease and sadness when this stops. (Of course, until here she could keep her dignity because she still had a good friend to trust). But that is exactly what happened in Cambodia : everything came to an abrupt stop, so this is something which uplifts the movie to a documentary level.
The only thing I noticed a bit is that in the opening scene where Ros was singing in a nightclub she looked pretty serious in doing so, while what I saw and noticed in all far east singers, also Cambodian singers is a unrestraint almost naïve and child-like happiness, something which then quickly turned in the Khmer Rouge nightmare reality, leaving such a mark on the country I think the child-like innocence to some degree has been lost with it. It is an important fact which I do not notice in the film, although the whole story is very realistic, and could have been filmed on a different moment where things might be expected to change at any time, leaving that trace of seriousness there.
It is remarkable to know that the whole movie was filmed in California, which does not show itself anywhere. It is a great historical document of a singer who now is still remembered amongst all Cambodian citizens in California and elsewhere. It shows also very well how the political change became practically commissioned in reality.
Perhaps it is good to see the whole thing in a wider context and in a complete perspective. Just before the coup, it was the time that America was fighting a war against communism in Vietnam. American soldiers were stationed around Vietnam, so also in Cambodia. Cambodia didn’t show many reactions to the war. Instead they adapted the American influence and took benefit of it, which made new possibilities and also a richer expression in music possible. The lack of reaction against the war, and envying the urban citizens who’s world began to flourish better, especially some people and especially farmers were envious of them. When they took over power, also the movie showed clearly how much they envied the urban citizens, and which happens always with people who are not used to lead others, fell into massive and inhumane abuse of the population, killing all intellectuals, musicians, politicians, intellectuals and soldiers in the country and cities were emptied. From this we must conclude how much communism by the Red Khmer in Cambodia was very much led by jealousy and that they really had been idiotic in reorganizing the country like they did. Like farmers they wanted to dig up the whole land, but in a primitive nature, this was done with so much acid and destruction the land was no longer fertile, but poor. All the new potential, which the citizens had seen and adapted so freely, had been completely destroyed. Instead of taking the positive things spontaneously, like had been done before, their reaction was primitive and had no positive effect whatsoever. Also the real spontaneous positive nature that adapts something from the environment, that makes perfect crossovers that respect past and looks for the future, might be lost for a long time, because with this change the past had been destroyed, and future is an empty vase that could eventually bring new things that loses a consciousness in their roots.
PS. The movie received many rewards in the US and Cambodia.
