Change Your Image
Skye-Fitzgerald
Reviews
Monsoon Wife (2004)
Great production values with a social message
I've seen this film more than once and was surprised to find how much it grew on me on second viewing. Not only does the film successfully negotiate the troubling landscape of child prostitution in SE Asia, it also reveals the equally disturbing world of those who frequent the Karaoke and sex bars of the region.
While the scope of the film is narrow, it takes a gritty, gut-check approach to addressing the far-from-palatable global issue of child prostitution with an unflinching eye. And while the film's gritty approach (a scene of a girl auditioning for what turns out to be a sex worker position, among others) won't necessarily appeal to those with a weak constitution, this is perhaps the film's greatest strength - the courage and willingness to show something as it is, rather than what we want it to be.
Highly recommended, especially if you want to learn more about developing nation issues currently being faced in contemporary Cambodia.