Cambodia is a very fast developing country in total mutation. After the devastating civil war in the 1970s, Cambodia – located between Thailand and Vietnam – has now experienced rapid and sustained economic growth for 20 years (more than 7% pa on average since 2000). This growth mainly benefits urban areas, causing an exodus of people from rural areas towards cities, especially the capital Phnom Penh 

Under those bright new city lights, thousands of young people are chasing the dream of a better life for themselves and their families – a high-speed adventure with survival for the fittest. French Director Jesse Miceli showcases this dream in Coalesce, his first feature film, which he has also written. 

Coalesce follows three separate young men, newly arrived in Phnom Penh. Songsa, (Sek Songsa) an introverted young teenager who loves death metal, is sent to the capital by his family to sell clothes with his uncle from a tuk-tuk. He also has to sleep in the tuk-tuk at night. Phearum (Eang Phearum) is 24 and goes into debt to buy a taxi and struggles to maintain the loan repayments as well as looking after his pregnant wife. He remains cheerful though and is inspired by conversations with some of his successful passengers. Cute twenty-year-old Thy (Rom Rithy) dives into the gay nightlife scene and gets a job as a host/dancer in a gay bar owned by an American man. He dreams of getting a powerful motorbike and joining a biker crew. Despite the cultural and geopolitical peculiarities, the hopes and fears of these young Khmer people thrown into an aggressive race for money and survival, their struggles and desires, their needs and interests, are universal. We follow the youths separately as they navigate their way through a bumpy fast-changing society until one day fate brings them together.

Shot on location in Phnom Penh and in the surrounding countryside, and largely with a cast who are not professional actors, Coalesce almost feels like a documentary. It’s a very realistic depiction of life in Phnom Penh for newly arrived young men without connections. They all have to navigate life through various people out to exploit them, both sexually and financially. The sharp contrast between rural and urban life in Cambodia is also well showcased, especially as most of the countryside scenes are shot in the daytime and the scenes in Phenom Penh are mostly shot at night. The film is also held together with a great soundtrack of eastern music. Of course, success in the city is not easy to achieve although, amongst its social comments, the film does offer hope for people in a similar position.

You can rent or buy Coalesce on iTunes and on Vudu.

 

Review: Ris Fatah 

Queerguru Contributing Editor Ris Fatah is a successful fashion/luxury business consultant  (when he can be bothered) who divides and wastes his time between London and Ibiza. He is a lover of all things queer, feminist, and human rights in general. @ris.fatah