Nowadays every band needs a movie. I went to see this one because I really like their music, I find it fascinating and (even in the times of globalization) very exotic. This movie offers some postcards from the trip to Cambodia, some comments about two different cultures (but if you read the plot, that's about it). It has absolutely no background, no focus, no intention and - even as a road-movie - no specific geographical placement. See it if you want to enjoy the music from their postcards from Cambodia. Any knowledge of the country is given a bit superficial and in a rush to the next performance. Some people therefore left the cinema, but since I didn't have big expectations, I just relaxed and enjoyed the music.
2 Reviews
Poetic Cambodian Rockcumentary
shiftdown30 April 2009
I really enjoyed this film about the band Dengue Fever. While at first it seems straightforward (an American band playing Khmer rock music travels to Cambodia) it becomes much more than that.
Past and present overlap as the band members discuss what made them interested in Khmer music in the first place. Cambodian rock 'n' roll pioneers not known to Americans are spoken of with reverence and affection. The film subtly injects Cambodian rock history when the band members explain where their influences come from while a wide variety of locations are explored. Footage of the country from years gone by is layered into the film. It's a feeling of looking at what Cambodia once was and what it is now.
The film is a poignant look at Cambodia's music scene and the country in general, without deviating from the main subject of the band — which can be tricky but the filmmakers pull it off with ease.
Past and present overlap as the band members discuss what made them interested in Khmer music in the first place. Cambodian rock 'n' roll pioneers not known to Americans are spoken of with reverence and affection. The film subtly injects Cambodian rock history when the band members explain where their influences come from while a wide variety of locations are explored. Footage of the country from years gone by is layered into the film. It's a feeling of looking at what Cambodia once was and what it is now.
The film is a poignant look at Cambodia's music scene and the country in general, without deviating from the main subject of the band — which can be tricky but the filmmakers pull it off with ease.
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