WATCH NOW
A short history of the name that makes many people think of horror movies of the early 1970s will first reveal itself in Robert H. Lieberman’s Angor Awakens, which primarily focuses on how the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge came to exist, and how modern-day Cambodia move on from the trauma that regime wrought upon them. It is very straightforward but it is never swept aside, so it is quite optimistic without being overly wishful. This sort of documentary will certainly be most useful in the classroom and on the screen where it can serve as a great (though rather boring) starting point for those Americans wondering about the region’s history.
People looking to be captivated by the changing title may assume there is more focus placed on ancient Angkor where the world’s largest city and capital of a mighty Empire resided for many centuries. But, this part of the narrative is rather glossed over and while an introduction provides some substantial tourism-friendly screenshots, there is no mention of the architecture left behind by the ancient Khmer Empire.
The documentary explains the life of King Norodom Sihanouk, who was adored by his people and ruled over an era of artistic enlightenment. It provides an interesting perspective that is rarely discussed, which is why my focus will be on him too. Although French colonialism was brutal, King Sihanouk ultimately managed to outsmart those attempting to control him. However, he had to abandon the South Vietnamese government during the Vietnam War, which dramatically altered the fate of his country. As a result, the U.S. interfered brutally and used horrifying tactics to gain control of Vietnam. During the last primary debate, Sanders described most of America’s actions as horrific, while describing Henry Kissinger’s role in the government as completely destructive. Sihanouk is shown to share part of the blame too, especially due to the fact that he decided to embrace Khmer Rouge after losing power over Cambodia. His actions put the country into a never-ending state of war.
Not only does Lieberman interview historians and journalists about what came after, but the most helpful head clips he had are from those with personal experience. We spoke with a number of people who were fortunate enough to be alive, and Pol Pot’s regime was in full swing. While trying to create a classless society, the regime implemented an intellectuals hating policy which consisted of evacuating people from cities and forcing them to work as peasants in the fields. Any form of intelligence could get you executed even something as simple as wearing glasses.
The goal here is less focused on how the end of Pol Pot’s rule came about, which is less of a priority than providing an account of the psychological suffering that was caused by it. While the majority of people that went through those years refuse to talk about it, their coping mechanism is to completely shut down, and step away from everything. Unlike Western societies which would label such symptoms as PTSD, Cambodians prefer to reject such terminology they do agree with the concept of broken courage being a form of moral helplessness.
According to Lemomer, this helplessness must be dealt with by the large fraction of the youth population of the country, which is starting to express discontent with the current leadership’s corruption. The film is not fully convincing with its happy closing montage, yet it is clear that Cambodia will not fully sink into its recent history as unlikely as it is for the country to return to its former zenith, the film is optimistic.
To watch more movies like Last Seen at Angkor (2006) visit 123movies
Also Watch for more movies like:
