Cambodian film ‘Lost Loves’ leaves spectators speechless

By Zarrin Ahmed 

The Daily Campus Staff Writer 

The University of Connecticut

Published: Thursday, September 20, 2012 

A film screening of “Lost Loves” and a question and answer session with director Chhay Bora left dozens of students and faculty speechless.

 “This is the first Cambodian film directed by a Cambodian,” said Cathy Schlund-Vials, director of the Asian American Studies Institute.

Based on the true story of Leav Sila, “Lost Loves” documents the horrific tale of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and the devastation of the Cambodian genocide. Bora wrote the screenplay based on the life of his mother-in-law, Sila.

At first, Bora’s wife, Kauv Sotheary, refused to write about her mother. Bora convinced Sotheary to change her mind.

“Our own story represents millions of Cambodians,” said Bora. “In the middle of the night she’d keep writing after I fell asleep, her tears falling.”

The film demonstrated the lifestyle Sila’s family had before the Khmer Rouge and how they were uprooted and relocated. Forced to live in a cooperative village, they had neither a market nor money. Every aspect of their lives was decided for them. In addition to having to wear black clothing that symbolized the eradication of their status in the economy, members were separated according to work camps they were put in.

Throughout the film, Bora focused on the loss of loved ones that his mother-in-law faced, lending meaning to the title of the film.

“This is a lesson for the whole world,” Bora said. “Genocide happens again and again…who and which country will be the next?”

Bora explained how difficult it was to write the screenplay and to then make the film itself on a low budget. But he emphasized how film is a powerful tool to share history through generations, especially history that Bora feels we have to learn.

“I appreciated that the director was authentic,” said Daryl Phin, a 7th-semester sociology major. “I recognized the music, the places and the clothing…I liked how I could relate to it. It made me both happy and sad.”

Bora originally thought that no one would ever pay to see a movie that made them cry. But the first screening of the film was to a full audience. The audience acknowledged that there was a story that needed to be heard. Since then, “Lost Loves” has been gaining worldwide attention. Bora stated that “Lost Loves” left people depressed and sad for a couple of weeks, but eventually made them happy.

“I think the movie is also healing,” said Bora.