+- Forums (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum)
+-- Forum: Doom Arts (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=6)
+--- Forum: Doom Streaming (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=21)
+---- Forum: Other Streaming (http://www.brotherhoodofdoom.com/doomForum/forumdisplay.php?fid=26)
+---- Thread: Karmalink (/showthread.php?tid=7350)
Karmalink - Drunk Monk - 12-10-2022
I was invited to a screener of this. It’s described as a Buddhist sci-fi from Cambodia which sounded intriguing so it’s been on my radar. I was tempted but there wasn’t enough intel for me to think I could make that Kung Fu connection plus I probably had something else going on so I bailed. Good thing too because there was no Kung Fu.
And it’s exactly what it promised - a Cambodian Buddhist sci-fi. Set in the near future it’s shot mostly in the ghetto near Phnom Penh. It’s mostly weathered locations - a beaten tattered and cluttered environment that would be difficult to build authentically. A young boy has dreams of his past lives where he stole a gold Buddha and hid it. A young gal is a scavenger of electronics - she befriends him and together with some other ghetto friends, they search for the treasure. But this is the future, so hipsters can get augmented so they have built in computers that can record dreams and thoughts. There’s a scientist who is seeking to use this to understand all his past lives which is a path towards resolving karma and achieving buddhahood.
It’s a young adult fantasy told mostly from the viewpoint of the kids as they struggle to live in poverty. And it’s highly allegorical, eloquently espousing Buddhist world views without getting overly preachy. At the heart of it is the kids’ journey.
I enjoyed this for its storytelling and its setting. Cambodia is outside my Asian sphere so the style and settings were fresh for me. There was a cinema verite quality to the locations. The only indication that this was the future was the occasional flying vehicle in the distant skyline, but no attempt was made with futuristic costumes and the tech was frugal, mostly these glowing accessories stuck to some foreheads when they were accessing their augmentations It’s got simple special effects but they are used effectively especially in the dream sequences.
I should’ve predicted the mcguffin because it was obvious but I got distracted by the concept of dreams revealing past life memories and how that played out against a scientific quest for enlightenment.
D00M recommended as a change of pace.
Seen on hoopla.
RE: Karmalink - cranefly - 12-10-2022
I was hovering on PLAY for this last night, but ended up going to Criterion to watch one of their soccer movies (Mirage), which ended up containing no soccer--just a stash of money hidden in a soccer ball. I feel short-changed.
RE: Karmalink - Drunk Monk - 12-10-2022
It’s your karma…