Melodrama in Laos

It is always very exciting when a documentary emerges on a little known subject. Such is the case with The Betrayal, opening this Saturday. Filmmakers, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath tell the story about Phrasavath’s life in Laos up until the Americans left and the Pathet regime took over. 

This part is very interesting and gives a glimpse into what life was like for members of the military collaborating with the Americans during the war. But more importantly, it gives us insight into how the abrupt American withdrawal affected the families of these military leaders.

Phrasavath’s father was high up in the military government. Once American forces abandoned him and his fellow officers to the new regime, his life, and that of his family, was changed forever. Phrasavath’s father was sent to a “re-education” camp where he was to be retrained into a compliant citizen of the new regime.

In actuality, it was a prison camp. He was taken away from his wife and ten children, who accepted the fact that he would be executed. They are alerted by a friend that they were targets of the regime and must leave right away. However, two of Phrasavath’s sisters were left behind because the family was unable to wait for them.

Eventually they make their way to America under the assumption that the American government will assist them. They are put up in a New York crack house in a tiny apartment they must share with two other families. 

Up until this point, the film is very interesting and gives viewers a lot of information that we wouldn’t necessarily have known before. However, after this point, the film becomes a whiny melodrama, fit for low budget cable stations.

Once in America, Phrasavath is the man of the family and does a lot of preaching to his siblings about the evils of American values and ethics. Decades later when they find out that their father is not only alive but has another family and lives in Florida, Phrasavath tries to use guilt to make him return to New York and take responsibility for the family.

Sadly, this could have been a great film. The narration is poetic and beautiful in spots. Some of the scenic shots are amazing. But the film devolves from a fascinating and important story of the betrayal of the Laotian people by our government, to the soap opera of a father’s betrayal of his family.

After the first third of the film, there is a lot of self-pity, guilt and angst. Filmed over several decades, the film follows the family through their coming to terms with the reality of their father. Although we can sympathize with these refugees, it is hard to feel very much when the film tries to force us to feel what they think is an appropriate amount.

The result is a film that pushes us into a corner and forces us to listen to the constant preaching of the narrator. The film would have been more effective without the sermons. So unless, you’re truly in need of a dose of unyielding, church-like guilt, skip this film. Nothing is interesting enough to sit through that kind of proselytizing.