Audience Member
If this were a just world this documentary would be a 'sleeper,' but it has yet to be discovered. I can't add to the praise for this documentary. All I can write is that all of the praise is so well deserved.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
01/24/23
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Audience Member
Thought-provoking, depressing documentary.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/27/23
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Audience Member
In my own self-inflicted ignorance, I thought this documentary was going to focus on the Vietnam War and its after-effects on the country of Laos. However, while it may start out this way, Nerakhoon is actually the tale of a family divided and strangled by the war, and their struggles to make a life for themselves in a new world.
Made refugees by the violence in their own country, our feature family relocates to America, the self-proclaimed land of opportunity, only to discover that what they thought to be heaven was in and of itself a hell. Crime, drugs, gangs, and poverty reign supreme, and our family finds its culture and language alienated in the melting pot that was (is) New York City.
What I personally found most interesting about this film was the indirect hypotheses behind why families that have immigrated from Asian nations find themselves out of place and uncomfortable in their new surroundings. Often the decision to leave is due to violence or seeking of a new future for offspring, but the parents themselves shy away from society, and it can take many generations of tumultuous fervor and restlessness for the family to truly accommodate its new surroundings and accept its new identity - and find itself home.
In Nerakhoon, we find a possible explanation for the explosion of Laos-related gangs that sprung up in the United States in the 1970's and 80's, as refugees relocated in droves, only to find themselves without proper homes are financial security. And this is exactly how gangs are formed. It's science, boys and girls.
You'll notice this review mostly ignored the actual war itself, despite it being the basis for this film, but again I felt that the family was the true focus here. The fact that this material was shot over the course of a couple of decades was truly exceptional, and our narrator's perspective was eye opening. How many of us have neighbours without English as a first language, families that are largely foreign, anti-social and reclusive? Instead of judging them, watch this movie and try to understand their circumstances - we take for granted the feeling of home and the comfort of living in a society that shares the same morals, ideals, and languages we do. Good film.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/19/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Detailing the plight of a Laotian immigrant family beset by difficulties. Though they could easily play the victim card, both the mother and the eldest son refuse, instead looking forward and doing their best to keep the family together. The footage over such a long period of time makes quite an impact, as does the poetic conclusion. This is an effective, commendable, and personal look at the challenges of a group too often ignored--immigrants seeking political asylum.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
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Audience Member
Makes me appreciate all my father's and mother's hard work to get my sisters and I to where we are today. The struggles they went through and love they have for the homeland. I will always strive to honor the trials they went through by accomplishing the dreams they had for me.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A nominee for best documentary at the Academy Awards, The Betrayal-Nerakhoon follows a 23 year struggle by a family of Laotians from their journey out of Vietnam era Laos through to the present day where a separated family still attempts to reconnect between New York and Laos. The scope of the film is astonishing, the fact that cinematographer Ellen Kuras stayed with the Laotian family over the years particularly the eldest son is an achievement in itself. Add to that the editing down of all the collected material to build this condemning film and you have a film on at least a stylistic front worthy of praise. What lies beneath the surface of the film is however, the most fascinating element of the film. Kuras' decision to look at Laos rather than Vietnam and put another American foul up under the microscope is a breath of fresh air (quite frankly I am finished with Nam stories); The Betrayal is a result of the fallout of America's secret aerial war on Laos and the guerrilla war they started in tandem with Laotian military officials. What was promised to these guerrillas was a brighter future, what was given them was death, torture, and for a lucky few a brief reprieve from these horrors. Following the failure in Vietnam, this small group of willing Laotians was left alone and left to face the repercussions brought forth by a change in government. For the focus family all was not lost, as the bulk of their members survived a very last minute, fraught with danger escape to the US. Unfortunately, the land of milk and honey was not what it was cut out to be, as the Laotians are thrown away like trash with a months worth of food stamps and not much else. To speak further of what happens to this family over the years would betray their amazing journey over the years. The negatives and there are a few are as follows, The Betrayal is hindered by a sluggish pace, a tiresome repetitive score, and for me never totally being able to sympathize with the focus family. Overall though there is more than enough to applaud in this documentary whether that be head shaking historical reportage of heart wrenching real life family drama.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
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