★★★☆☆During the making of his 2007 film, Bomb Harvest, director Kim Mordaunt was inspired by the experience of young people in Laos who make their living extracting for sale, the metal and explosives from bombs dropped during the 'secret war' in the 1960s-70s. That such a huge risk was taken by children just to survive was demonstrable of a tragic tradition of innocent lives being exploited in a country reportedly the "most bombed place on the planet". The Rocket (2013) is Mordaunt's tribute to this mostly unrepresented culture, with the only other Laotian film to date being Good Morning, Luang Prabang (2008), a romance about a photographer falling in love with his tour guide.
- 7/1/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt has used his background in documentary film to stunning effect in his Laos-set feature debut, The Rocket. We talked to the director about what inspired him to craft his tale of a young boy seeking redemption in his journey through a war-ravaged country, and how, as a director, he navigated some of the challenges and obstacles which can occur when shooting in a volatile and exotic landscape.
You touched on some of the themes found in The Rocket in a previous documentary [2007’s Bomb Harvest] but how was the narrative formed?
We couldn’t have done this film in the Lao language with protagonists from the country unless we’d made the documentary beforehand. The producer Silvia [Wilczynski] and myself lived in Hanoi, Vietnam about ten years ago and we worked there as teachers, on a propaganda newspapers, and I even landed a job as gameshow host on a rigged programme.
You touched on some of the themes found in The Rocket in a previous documentary [2007’s Bomb Harvest] but how was the narrative formed?
We couldn’t have done this film in the Lao language with protagonists from the country unless we’d made the documentary beforehand. The producer Silvia [Wilczynski] and myself lived in Hanoi, Vietnam about ten years ago and we worked there as teachers, on a propaganda newspapers, and I even landed a job as gameshow host on a rigged programme.
- 3/14/2014
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This Laos-set drama about a firework competition – and unexploded wartime ordnance – is sweet natured, if low-key
Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is a debut fiction feature from an Australian documentary-maker, set in Laos. It is a likable piece of work whose gentleness is an interesting contrast to the grim and even tragic subject matter. It should, perhaps, be seen specifically as a children's film. The Rocket seems to have grown out of Mordaunt's 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, about the work of an Australian bomb disposal expert trying to clear away the huge number of unexploded devices dropped on Laos by the Us during the Vietnam war. Children are still at risk from these terrifying objects in the ground. The story is about a young Laotian boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), who is believed by his family to be "cursed", a bringer of bad luck. Ahlo battles on, however, making friends with an orphan and her wacky uncle,...
Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket is a debut fiction feature from an Australian documentary-maker, set in Laos. It is a likable piece of work whose gentleness is an interesting contrast to the grim and even tragic subject matter. It should, perhaps, be seen specifically as a children's film. The Rocket seems to have grown out of Mordaunt's 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, about the work of an Australian bomb disposal expert trying to clear away the huge number of unexploded devices dropped on Laos by the Us during the Vietnam war. Children are still at risk from these terrifying objects in the ground. The story is about a young Laotian boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), who is believed by his family to be "cursed", a bringer of bad luck. Ahlo battles on, however, making friends with an orphan and her wacky uncle,...
- 3/14/2014
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
There’s a tricky balance to be found in Australian documentarian Kim Mordaunt’s impressive narrative debut “The Rocket.” Mordaunt, who returns to Laos after exploring the country in his documentary “The Bomb Harvest,” tells a tale that’s both humanistic and soulful, yet political and socially aware. Tip the scales in either direction and your tonal equilibrium is thrown out of order. And that’s perhaps what makes “The Rocket” so special; it’s a thoughtful, well-observed drama that contains many painful struggles and hardships, quietly chronicles third world poverty and social inequities, and yet never condescends to preach or teach. In fact, when the beleaguered protagonists finally receive some much-needed respite and joy, the payoff is well-earned. In rural Laos, a young boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), is unknowingly born into bad luck. Local superstition dictates that twins are evil omens and the children should be killed off. Ahlo...
- 1/8/2014
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
The Rocket (Bang fai) Director: Kim Mordaunt Screenwriter: Kim Mordaunt Cast: Sitthiphon Disamoe, Loungnam Kaosainam, Bunsri Yindi, Sumrit Warin, Alice Keohavong Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 12/12/13 Opens: January 10, 2014 Part National Geographic, part Hallmark Hall of Fame and even some leftist political points make up this exotic fare called “The Rocket.” “The Rocket” is filmed mostly in rural Laos but some in Thailand and is directed by Australian Kim Mordaunt—whose documentary “Bomb Harvest” in 2007 deals with efforts to clean up the unexploded bombs in Laos, known as per capita the most bombed country in the world. “The Rocket” is right up her alley, then, as she focuses [ Read More ]
The post The Rocket Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Rocket Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 12/13/2013
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Earlier this week we heard the Jury picks for the 60th Sydney Film Festival; Refn and Gosling's Only God Forgives won the Official Competition prize and Buckskin won the Foxtel Documentary Prize. Now comes the Audience Awards.Two Australian films won both prizes. The Rocket, directed by Australian director Kim Mordaunt (Bomb Harvest), won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature. This coming-of-age tale set entirely in Laos screened at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it won the Best Narrative Feature and Best Actor prizes; and was earlier awarded three prizes at the Berlinale, including the Crystal Bear.Meanwhile, The Crossing, directed by Julian Harvey, won the Audience Award for Best Documentary. The Crossing screened in the Foxtel Australian Documentary competition and follows two young Australians, Clark Carter and...
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- 6/19/2013
- Screen Anarchy
There’s a tricky balance to be found in Australian documentarian Kim Mordaunt’s impressive narrative debut “The Rocket.” Mordaunt, who returns to Laos after exploring the country in his documentary “The Bomb Harvest,” tells a tale that’s both humanistic and soulful, yet political and socially aware. Tip the scales in either direction and your tonal equilibrium is thrown out of order. And that’s perhaps what makes “The Rocket” so special; it’s a thoughtful, well-observed drama that contains many painful struggles and hardships, quietly chronicles third world poverty and social inequities, and yet never condescends to preach or teach. In fact, when the beleaguered protagonists finally receive some much-needed respite and joy, the payoff is well-earned. In rural Laos, a young boy, Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), is unknowingly born into bad luck. Local superstition dictates that twins are evil omens and the children should be killed off. Ahlo...
- 4/27/2013
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
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