Having examined the bomb-riddled country of Laos in his 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, Australian filmmaker Kim Mordaunt delivers this tale that charms without over-indulging, educates without lecturing and captivates without capsizing. The narrative feature is a first for both Mordaunt’s filmography and the country’s catalogue of internationally-released titles and it’s difficult to imagine a debut being stronger.
As the twin who survived birth, young Ahlo is marked as a bringer of bad luck, the consequence of a widely-held cultural belief. This makes him the perfect scapegoat when things go horribly wrong with both his family and his community after Western forces meddle with their resources. But instead of wallowing in misery, Ahlo remains stern-headed and frustrated at the situation – a spunkiness shown so naturally through talented former-street-kid-turned-lead-actor Sitthiphon ‘Ki’ Disamoe.
Though the setup takes its time (rockets are only mentioned after the halfway point), its length is necessary to grasp an understanding of Laotian traditions that snowballs towards an impactful payoff at The Rocket Festival, an annual rocket-building competition believed to provoke rain to fall on their crop-reliant lands. It’s a view that works terrifically with the good-natured irreverence shared amongst the Laotian community towards their own customs. I was oddly charmed by the sight of grown men placing rockets to their crotches and pelvic thrusting the sky, “right up into the gods’ arse!”
