Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers (2007)
During the last half-century, Cambodia has witnessed genocide, decades of war and the collapse of social order. Now, documentary filmmaker Rithy Panh looks at an irreparable tragedy that is less visible, yet no less pervasive: the spiritual death that results when young women are forced into prostitution. Angry and impassioned, PAPER CANNOT WRAP UP EMBERS presents the searing stories of poor Asian women whose lives were violated and their destinies destroyed when their bodies were turned into items of sexual commerce.
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Yawn. Poorly Filmed Snooze Fest.
If you don't like this, we can't be friends.
Great Film overall
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
I recently viewed this film at the Bangkok film festival. In praise, I must first say that this film does not shy away from the terrible tragedies that poor women endure all over the world. It gives the audience a look at a situation that we would probably prefer to ignore. The problem with the film is that it gets in its own way. It is true that the film is remarkable as a documentary for its lack of voice over or direct interaction with the film crew. However, hiding the crew seemed so false to me that I was quite distracted from the women that were being documented. It seems like the women were heavily prompted to ask one another revealing questions. Some of their conversations seemed genuine whereas others seemed hopelessly staged. They also tended to be seated or otherwise arranged in very tasteful and not necessarily natural positioning. The staged feeling would have actually been lessened if the documenters were present- tacitly admitting that their presence did alter the view of reality. As is, much of the film rings as disturbingly false.