Educational Media Reviews Online

A 5000 year old Lao prophecy tells, “A time will come when the universe will break, piece by piece. …The world we know now will change beyond recognition.” For Thavisouk Phrasavath and his family the prophecy came true after the Americans retreated from their secret war in Laos, abandoned their Laotian and Hmong soldier allies, and the Royal Laotian government fell from power. Thavisouk [Thavi] recollects that, “The very first thing I ever knew was my country was at war, and my father was a soldier…. I thought killing and dying was the normal thing to do.” Even as massive aerial bombardment carpeted the nation, the official American position, as iterated by both Presidents Kennedy and Nixon, denied any U.S. commitment. By 1975 the pro-communist Pathet Lao authorities had come to power and promised to bring peace and development to the nation.

Thavi remembers that, “To me as a child, it was the most beautiful moment, the day that the Pathet Lao took over the country. Everything seemed to be perfect in that moment.” Perfection was an illusion. Pathet soldiers arrested Thavi’s father and sent him to a camp for re-education; the isolated family was regarded as an enemy of the country. After Thavi himself was arrested and interrogated, he seized the first opportunity to escape to neighboring Thailand. Alone, twelve year old Thavi, using inflated plastic bags, swam the Mekong River to sanctuary. Two years later Thavi’s mother and seven of her nine children, managed to escape to Thailand.

Granted refugee status, the family arrived in New York, only to find their sponsor hours late to meet them. The sponsor dropped them off in a two room crack house apartment housing a Cambodian family of six and a Vietnamese man, and now the eleven from Laos. As Thavi dryly commented, these were, “People who were not always friendly in history.” Once again the Phrasavath family found itself in the midst of war—this time with contemporary American gang culture as the enemy.

Twenty three years in the making, The Betrayal is deeply moving, inspiring yet at times heart wrenching. A skillful blend of archival footage, still images, pastoral scenes and cinéma verité, enhanced with Howard Shore’s exquisitely lyrical, haunting musical score, it is an extraordinary journey into the life and soul of a family. Ellen Kuras’ and Thavisouk Phrasavath’s collaboration is rich in visual symbolism and poetic in its dialogue. As Thavi struggled to serve as father to the younger children and to preserve their Laotian culture, it became an almost impossible task. When after many years his father made contact and came for a visit, their happiness lasted for a week until the father revealed he was married with small children. Thavi and his family were devastated by this final betrayal.

Highly recommended for both public and academic collections.

Awards

• Winner Full Frame Film Festival, 2008
• 2009 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature, 2009
• Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best Documentary