Rewarded with the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlinale, Buoyancy is a brutal and beautifully told debut from Rodd Rathjen. In rural Cambodia, spirited 14-year-old Chakra (Sarm Heng) works the rice fields with his family. He yearns for independence and seeks out a local broker who can get him paid work in a Thai factory. But after secretly crossing the border with his new friend Kea (Mony Ros), the pair quickly realise the broker has lied to them — as both are sold to a fishing captain as slaves. Trapped at sea indefinitely, they trawl fish for twenty-two hours a day and bear witness to torture on every side. Chakra looks to Captain Rom Ran (Thanawut Kasro) to understand what it will take to be free.
“Heart-in-your-mouth viewing.” — The Big Issue
Thai, Khmer
English
Australia