Where does one begin? I had an interest in the subject matter (SE Asia - not prostitution!) because of a month-long trip I spent in Cambodia, Thailand and other parts of the area, including a few days in Siem Reap, where some of the action supposedly takes place. I say "supposedly" because while there was some quick footage of the temples it seemed to mainly consist of one still shot (might have even been a photograph, not sure) of Angkor Wat. The rest of the film seemed to be shot in the alleyways of some SE Asian country - you couldn't be sure. There was one quick scene shot on the bank of some river I had walked on in Siem Reap but it wasn't a very good angle. Then it hit me - I'm betting this whole film was shot guerilla style without permits! That would explain why you never (except for perhaps one brief scene that looked like it may have been shot surreptitiously) see the characters actually walking in front of the temples - there weren't any real good scenes that might have benefited from the exotic beauty of this area.
But then what do you expect from this film that liberally rips off parts of "Memento" and any number of other films? For the record, it is ostensibly about a loser American grade school teacher who we see gazing at a young girl soccer player in the opening scene while he's in the classroom. This will make sense by the end of the film though you probably won't really care at that point. Through flashbacks we see that his wife mysteriously disappeared after he proposed to her in Siem Reap -- 4 years ago. Then it cuts to him in Thailand or some other SE Asian country (not sure) where he meets up with some private eye dude who says his office is in Singapore (I guess all Asians speak the same language - NOT) but somehow "knows" the right people to contact in Cambodia. How he knows the Khmer language as well as Thai is never answered. No doubt a multi-talented linguist. The film follows these two guys as they sleep in dingy, ugly hotels (guess the filmmakers couldn't afford more than $5.00 a night - you can live like kings for $25.00). None of this makes a lot of sense and at one point the lead character even asks his guide why they have to stay in such a sh*thole. The guide never gives a convincing answer. Both actors are pretty bad. The video quality is not very good. And none of the locations except for some extremely brief bits shot in Siem Reap are that interesting. Literally 90% of it is shot either in crappy hotel rooms or in nondescript alleys. I kid you not.
If you really want to see a good film on Angkor Wat or Cambodia in general there are a number of documentaries you can rent. Or watch the first "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie. But please, please skip this movie. The surprise "twist" at the end is not so much intriguing as it is nauseating unless you are the type of tourist who is into the sort of activity that will give you a hefty jail sentence in most countries in the world, particularly Cambodia.
But then what do you expect from this film that liberally rips off parts of "Memento" and any number of other films? For the record, it is ostensibly about a loser American grade school teacher who we see gazing at a young girl soccer player in the opening scene while he's in the classroom. This will make sense by the end of the film though you probably won't really care at that point. Through flashbacks we see that his wife mysteriously disappeared after he proposed to her in Siem Reap -- 4 years ago. Then it cuts to him in Thailand or some other SE Asian country (not sure) where he meets up with some private eye dude who says his office is in Singapore (I guess all Asians speak the same language - NOT) but somehow "knows" the right people to contact in Cambodia. How he knows the Khmer language as well as Thai is never answered. No doubt a multi-talented linguist. The film follows these two guys as they sleep in dingy, ugly hotels (guess the filmmakers couldn't afford more than $5.00 a night - you can live like kings for $25.00). None of this makes a lot of sense and at one point the lead character even asks his guide why they have to stay in such a sh*thole. The guide never gives a convincing answer. Both actors are pretty bad. The video quality is not very good. And none of the locations except for some extremely brief bits shot in Siem Reap are that interesting. Literally 90% of it is shot either in crappy hotel rooms or in nondescript alleys. I kid you not.
If you really want to see a good film on Angkor Wat or Cambodia in general there are a number of documentaries you can rent. Or watch the first "Tomb Raider" with Angelina Jolie. But please, please skip this movie. The surprise "twist" at the end is not so much intriguing as it is nauseating unless you are the type of tourist who is into the sort of activity that will give you a hefty jail sentence in most countries in the world, particularly Cambodia.
