The Betrayal

During the American bombing of Laos during the Vietnam War, the same amount of ammunition was used in a few years as in the First and Second World Wars combined. It left the country and its inhabitants in physical and mental havoc, a fact the American government systematically denied. Those who sided with the Americans during the war, such as the father of Thavisouk Phrasavath (or Thavi), were forgotten. , the directorial debut from celebrated cinematographer Ellen Kuras, mixes this geopolitical treason with various forms of personal betrayal. The betrayal of Thavi's sisters by their mother, who was forced to leave them behind when the family fled to America. And the betrayal by Thavi's father, who, as it turns out when he shows up in the States many years later, has a new family. Kuras presents her film as a lyrical, associative dialogue between herself and Thavi, who is credited as the main character, but also as the co-director, co-screenwriter and editor. draws on 20 years of footage, from poetic images of the immigrant family in Brooklyn and Laos to concrete but intimate interviews Thavi had with his relatives. In the process, the film embeds a personal story in world history.