How does one depict a genocide such as that inflicted by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people? Some — such as Rithy Pahn, who used clay figures rather than actors for the reenactments in his Oscar-nominated documentary “The Missing Piece” — would argue that to do so is to empower the perpetrators, to exploit the victims, and potentially to reduce the atrocities to a form of spectacle. And yet, the world must not be allowed to forget. By embracing hand-drawn animation as a tool for tactful re-creation, “Funan” director Denis Do provides audiences a unique window into this relatively under-represented 20th-century horror, one that serves as an act of witnessing even as it avoids directly showing the violence on-screen.
Do’s restraint is an artistic choice, not one forced upon him by censors or producers concerned about reaching the widest audience possible. Even by cutting away from the worst incidents — which include beatings,...
Do’s restraint is an artistic choice, not one forced upon him by censors or producers concerned about reaching the widest audience possible. Even by cutting away from the worst incidents — which include beatings,...
- 10/23/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
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