Have a
better life.
Spoken in
simple words from a limited vocabulary he could muster in a language foreign to
him, Isaiah Tour’s father delivered these words with sincerity and a
hopefulness that touched me deeply. His face hardened from years of labour but
eyes a true reflection of his emotions.
Isaiah
Tour’s father only had that one wish for all the people he cares about,
spending days on end working in a box factory in a country where he struggles
to express himself in English. Tour’s wish, now with this film, is to capture
that resilience, hope and to make visible his mostly absent father’s decisions
and history that has shaped him into the man he is today.
Though
never sharing a hug on screen or any physical contact when in conversation,
this journey is emotional nonetheless. From absence to uncovering the constant
presence of his father in his every day life, the complexities of the past and
the weight of new understandings lie within their voice, gaze and the poignant
pauses every so often.
A Life Like
This is an 11-minute animation documentary written, directed and produced by
Tour himself. As a young New Zealander and a first generation immigrant, Tour
lost touch with his Cambodian roots and grew up in an environment vastly
different from his father. In an attempt to bond with his father, he explores
the family’s refugee story as survivors of the Khmer Rouge Regime from 1975 to
1979.
Isaiah Tour
This film
is one of six presented by The Outlook for Someday. This seems to be Tour’s
take on the theme sustainability from the point of view of family
relationships, cultural roots and the passing on of narratives through
generations. It was recently screened at the 8th Cambodia International Film Festival.
I must say
that the Khmer Rouge Regime is a dark moment in Cambodian history and being
relatively recent, you can still see the aftermath of it when you visit the
country – the lasting effects on its people and morale that are yet to fade.
To tell
this narrative and capture it on film is a huge task to take on, however Tour
does it with authenticity and grace. Combining interview footages together with
animation, he manages to balance and tread the thin line of establishing the
violence of it without being overbearing. He took on the role of sharing his
story and educating his viewers on what his father’s experiences were in that
terrifying time, without propagating or imposing judgment. I also found it
touching that within all that tragedy, portrayed through digitized humans
getting shot and separated from family, Tour also gave equal attention to the
fortunes and love his family encountered as well.
A Life Like
This is a film so generous in sharing his own personal history, that it
resonates deeply with me – prompting me to reflect upon my own shared family
history of love, loss and the constant looking out for the future generations
to come.
Link to watch the short film here.
Link to watch the short film here.
Check out the other 9 films in our STOP10 list of Cambodian films from CIFF 2018.