Shooting stars
In Cambodia, men are told to be gold – they would always be clean and keep their value even if they commit dirty or bad (sexual) actions as gold always remains intact. Whereas women are like a piece of cotton – once in dirt they are damaged and can’t be as clean as they were before.
Artist women’s life in Cambodia is particular nowadays. They must be a good example in their private life and respect the traditions which are sometimes constraining. “It’s often said not to marry an artist woman, because she can do nothing else but charming people”.
In this documentary, we are going to show the difficulties that three artists women (Ampor Devi, Phalla and Piseth Pilika) face.
Ampor Devi is a Cambodian movie star. Phalla is a traditional star dancer of the Royal ballet and Piseth Pilika a movie star and Royal ballet dancer who was assassinated.
By sharing their lives through the movie camera, we can understand the relationship between men and women and the multiple troubles which overcame in this society after 30 years of war and the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge.
Ampor Devi, 31 years old, lives with her husband who hasn’t been taking care of her since the birth of their two years old son. She can’t divorce, because it would be bad for her career, she would loose her popularity: she has to give a good example as well in her job as in her private life. So she is an actress on the screen and in her daily life, as far as she plays the role of the perfect woman. During her show tours through the country she explains her life as a woman and her job – which is thought to be for bad women in Cambodia. She expresses her feelings with a lot of emotion.
Phalla has danced since she was ten years old. She represents the most prestigious character of the traditional dance: the principal Apsara (who is considered to be the most beautiful Celeste Dancer. We can see her sculptures on the Angkor temple’s walls).
She got married with the Cambodian Minister of Tourism, who is 20 years older, when she was 17. On her husband’s advices, she stopped dancing, because a woman on stage is seen by men and thus is considered as a prostitute. She had a son with him and got divorced after two years of marriage. Her husband took her son away from her and forbade her to see him. She came back to dance. She dances for the great personalities of the country and teaches traditional dance to young students.
But the life for a divorced woman is very difficult because of the look the society has on her.
Artist’s life in Cambodia is not safe at all. In 1999 the movie star and traditional dancer Piseth Pilika was assassinated in a street of Phnom Penh. We discovered in her diary and through witnesses that her death was a matter of the government. Her case is not unique. Another star was burned when a jealous politician's wife splashed her with battery acid.
Through their words and their professional activities, we will discover that those women have a strong personality and are courageous. They may reach their goal – the liberty to live without constraint of the tradition.
Ampor Devi leaves the country for the United States and Phalla prepares to escape from the threat which presses hard on her. Yet they both dream to live in their country in liberty.
Their confidences are expressed like heartbreak because it’s about what all Cambodian women are not allowed to say. It’s the first time that those women talk openly about their lives with an exceptional sincerity. The movie camera is used like a therapeutic mean to relieve the social suffering of those two women.
Written and directed by Roshane Saidnattargj
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