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Thavisouk Phrasavath

In this documentary, filmmaker Thavisouk Phrasavath details the painful story of how he and his family faced hardship and poverty as Laotian refugees during the Vietnam War. Combining interviews and a... read more read more...rchival footage, Phrasavath explores not only the experience of betrayal that his family endured when they were forced to flee their homeland, but the larger scheme of geopolitics that put the events into play. ~ Cammila Albertson, Rovi

Flixster Users

71% liked it

332 ratings

Critics

93% liked it

30 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath

Release Date: November 21, 2008

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DVD Release Date: September 1, 2009

Stats: 40 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (40)

  • gator681
    November 24, 2008
    gator681
    [font=Century Gothic]Directed by Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath, "The Betrayal" is a moving documentary, 23 years in the making. Generally, the film is interested in the promise of the United States and how sadly it often goes unfulfilled, especially as it applies to the c... read moreountry and people of Laos, a near-forgotten part of the wars the United States was fighting in Southeast Asia until 1975.(Even though no American combat troops were on the ground in the country, there was still an incredible amount of bombs dropped.) As the larger history lesson is presented in the background illustrated by archival footage(of special note is Kennedy and Nixon both lying), the story of Thavisouk's family is told in the foreground. Thavisouk's father fought with the American supported guerrillas in favor of the royal government and against the Pathet Lao insurgency. When the United States left, the government fell and Thavisouk's father was sent to a reeducation camp while Thavisouk escaped across the Mekong River to relative safety in Thailand. His mother, fearing she was next, escaped but had to leave two of her daughters behind. The family reunited in Thailand before moving on to the United States. After fleeing the violence of war, they now had to face the violence of gangs on the streets of Brooklyn.[/font]

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Critic Reviews

Ty Burr
April 9, 2009
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Self-consciously poetic and shot within a luscious inch of its life, the film's also an engrossing heartbreaker: a family saga that spans continents, political administrations, and decades of travail ... Full Review

Jonathan Curiel
February 27, 2009
Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

The touching music (which includes quasi-choral chants) completes a film that, despite its tough subject matter, is life-affirming in the best possible way. Full Review

Sheri Linden
January 16, 2009
Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times

[Betrayal's] saga, told with soul-stirring specificity, is also in a sense the history of 20th century bloodshed and dislocation, hauntingly anticipated in 5,000-year-old Lao prophecies. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
November 21, 2008
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

The filmmakers have created a shimmering, absorbing experience that's both specific and general, both concrete and abstract. Full Review

V.A. Musetto
November 21, 2008
V.A. Musetto, New York Post

The Betrayal is a potent mix of archival footage, talking heads and visually arresting montages. Full Review

A.O. Scott
November 21, 2008
A.O. Scott, New York Times

The Betrayal (Nerakhoon) is quiet, contemplative and impressionistic, which makes the story it has to tell all the more powerful. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
November 20, 2008
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The past-and-present layering is a lot more resonant -- and less sketchy -- than the film's theme of 'betrayal,' both familial and governmental. Full Review

J. Hoberman
November 19, 2008
J. Hoberman, Village Voice

It's as if the filmmaker has opened a window onto a parallel world traveling beside our own. Full Review

Scott Foundas
November 17, 2008
Scott Foundas, Variety

This heartfelt debut docu feature by veteran cinematographer Ellen Kuras brings an affecting personal dimension to a sprawling sociopolitical narrative. Full Review

Logan Hill
November 17, 2008
Logan Hill, New York Magazine

Even in a city bursting with extraordinary immigrant stories, this film about a Laotian-American family's journey to Brooklyn is unusually moving. Full Review

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