Movie Review: “Cambodian Son”

Personal journey of exiled Cambodian-American spoken word artist is poetic and raw

With images of Cambodian urban life juxtaposed between interviews and spoken word performances, “Cambodian Son” immerses viewers in a visual poem that is relayed with passion and conviction, much like the poetry of the film's main character, Kosal Khiev. The everyday mundane is captured beautifully such as monsoon rain falling on a coral tree and intersperses with the profound telling of a mythic story, creating atmospheric tension from one moment to the next. 

Although Director, Masahiro Sugano, presents a character-driven documentary that focuses on a broken judicial system, he manages not to overshadow the inner workings of Khiev's life, creating an intimate, yet complex portrait of a man on his own hero’s journey.

Lyrical in visual and aural style, Sugano weaves a story of transformation against the backdrop of Cambodian popular music and the syncopated beats of Khiev's spoken word poetry. Although the cultural and political context of Khiev’s story is situated in the present, the past is revisited through interviews told by family members in the United States and other K.E.A’s (Khmer Exiled Americans) living in Cambodia.

Kosal Khiev, subject of "Cambodian Son" documentary.

 
Khiev and many other Cambodian-Americans of his generation were born in refugee camps along the Thai-Cambodian border. The repetition of hearing and seeing Khmer Exiled Americans stating this prevalent fact was striking, reminding me that many of us share a common history (I, too, was born in a Thai refugee camp). In Khiev and these K.E.A’s, I saw the faces of brothers, fathers, and sons longing to return home, to families and communities unwillingly left behind in America.

Khiev’s family, like mine and others, were offered permanent resident status once they arrived in the United States – the same country involved in secret mass bombings of Cambodia in the 1960’s that lead to the Khmer Rouge’s enslavement and eventual genocide of the Cambodian population during the early 1970’s. 

Life in the United States came with its own set of struggles, many families like Khiev’s lived in housing projects, surrounded by violence and poverty. With little to no guidance, many Cambodian youths, particularly young males, turned to gangs as a source of support and protection. They were eventually involved and convicted of crimes in their teenage years.

At the age of 16, Khiev was tried and sentenced as an adult to 16 years in prison for his involvement in a shoot-out. It was during his time in prison, where he discovered his artistic voice as a spoken word poet by participating in an arts-in-corrections program.

Khiev was eventually released after serving 14 years of his prison term, only to be deported under the provision of anti-terrorism legislation that went into effect in 1996. The legislation called for the deportation of non-citizens who had been convicted under certain crimes. In many cases these crimes occurred years ago, with time already served, and after having started new lives, families, and businesses.

With any hero’s journey, we root for Khiev as he navigates applying and waiting on approval for a travel visa to the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad, invited to perform as Cambodia’s premiere spoken word poet. Yet, there are further obstacles he must overcome, leading to no immediate reward other than the ones he finds within himself.

Producer: Anida Yoeu Ali & Director: Masahiro Sugano

Khiev’s story is a mystery at first, but is gradually revealed, piece-by-piece, through interviews with fellow K.E.A’s and family members, interactions, and especially through the verses of his poetry. I'm convinced that poetry truly is his saving grace. This is where the film succeeds most, in humanizing the issue of deported Americans by delving into the life of Kosal Khiev, they put a face on a larger issue and demonstrate the power of art to inspire change.

The meaning of "home" is realized when we feel Khiev's desire to see his family, and they for him. "Home” and “family” aren’t mutually exclusive here; rather they are one in the same.

As a mythic symbol, Khiev embodies the act of finding one’s power when one feels most powerless – amidst the geopolitics, bitterness, and cultural confusion. Although “Cambodian Son” largely tells one man’s journey; it’s a journey that represents us all. Anyone that has searched for a sense of purpose, belonging, community, and "home" will see their own reflection in Khiev and experience the beauty when life is fully lived. Despite the challenges, we are able to let die, choices and thinking that no longer serve us and wake up to find that we can be born again to a new identity or way of life.
 
To learn more about “Cambodian Son” and future screening dates, please visit:
www.facebook.com/CambodianSon
www.cambodianson.com