Until the Orchid Blooms

The construction of a dam in the Sesan River in Cambodia flooded the village of Kbal Romeas. Many villagers belonging to the Bunong indigenous minority accepted compensation from the government and were given alternative housing elsewhere. Around 50 families remained in the nearby forest to continue their traditional way of life. They built new huts, but their living conditions are hard, as they lack even the most basic facilities. They receive no support from the government; the inhabitants draw strength from their mutual solidarity.

Single mother Neang keeps her spirits up, as she fishes, works the land and brings her youngest son back from the city. But with only a primary school, there is no future for the children in Kbal Romeas. Illegal logging has thinned the forest and much wildlife has disappeared. Outside the village, the banana plantation is drawing closer.

Director Polen Ly documents the steady decline at the calm pace of the forest dwellers. The Bunong live in an increasingly apocalyptic landscape of advancing water, dead trees and barren plains. Ly’s debut film is an account of depopulation in slow motion.