Wednesday Night Southeast Asia Movie: Laos

March 11, 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Mānoa Campus, Center for Korean Studies

At the Horizon (ປາຍທາງ)

Laos (2011, 101 min)
Lao w/English subtitles

Director: Anysay Keola
Screenplay: Anysay Keola
Music: Volachit Intharaphithak
Cinematography: Thanavorakit Khounthawatphinyo, K.M. Lo
Cast: Khounkham Sidthiyom, Khamhou Phanludeth, Vatsana Sayoudom, Thipphakesone Misaybua, Loungnam Samadmanyvong

Laos’ first ever crime-thriller, “At the Horizon” is a well-written and well-performed account of a mute mechanic who violently crosses paths with a rich college kid. Pushing the boundaries of censorship with an honest depiction of social division in this communist state while carefully avoiding overt political commentary, debuting scripter-helmer Anysay Keola has produced a solid genre piece that marks him as a talent worth watching.

An arresting opening segment finds Sin (Khounkham Sidthiyom), a young guy with a punk haircut, screaming for help while chained to a chair in a dingy building. Several minutes later, Sin meets his captor, Lud (Khamhou Phanludeth), a mute in his mid-30s.

How these two men from opposite ends of the socioeconomic spectrum have been drawn together is played out in a series of punchy flashbacks and flashbacks-within-flashbacks. The early emphasis is on Sin, a smarmy college student from a wealthy family who drives a flashy SUV, carries a handgun like it’s a toy, and cheats constantly on his beautiful girlfriend, Mouk (Thipphakesone Misaybua).

On the other side of town, Lud works diligently at his motorcycle repair shop and is a devoted husband to his wife (Vatsana Sayoudom), a vegetable seller, and loving father to their adorable young daughter (Loungnam Samadmanyvong).

With barely a handful of Laotian features having played beyond national borders in the past 35 years, “At the Horizon” reps a significant step in efforts to stimulate filmmaking activity in the landlocked state. Pic is the first feature effort by Lao New Wave Cinema Prods., a loose collective of local indie filmmakers whose aim to produce accessible entertainment for domestic and international audiences is off to a promising start.

- Richard Kuipers, Variety

Celebrating 10 Years of Screening Southeast Asian Cinema 2004-2014


Ticket Information
Free and open to the public

Event Sponsor
Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Mānoa Campus

More Information
(808) 956-2688, cseas@hawaii.edu, http://cseashawaii.org

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