Bor Mi Vanh Chark

This film is a Laotian mysterious art ghost story imbued with magical realism and Back to the Future for demanding and thoughtful viewers. On the one hand it’s a drama about death, the inability to leave loved ones and the need to give the dead a dignified burial, on the other a supernatural sci-fi about time travel (very artistic), time loops, paradoxes and influencing the present through past interventions. The two storylines - one dedicated to a little boy who sees the spirit of a deceased girl, and the other dealing with the same character fifty years later - are remarkably interconnected and told in an innovative way that requires some investment on the part of the viewer (the frequent story ellipses are slightly confusing, but even so the story does make sense). Firmly grasped direction, an intelligently processed plot with unpredictable development, ambiguous characters with gradually changing motivations and a film that gives nothing to the audience for free and rewards you slowly but surely. (2019.10.04)