Khemerican

This is a short film looking at Cambodian Gang life in the USA. The title is an amalgamation of Khmer which is the ethnic group of Cambodia and their official language and American. The film opens up with two young Cambodian-American teenagers discussing their future while setting up for the morning shift at the family Donut shop. Soon their peace is destroyed by the very life they are both trying to escape from. This is an introduction to the world of Cambodian gangs.

This is an adrenaline charged picture that really makes the audience fear what will happen next. The score starts softly and then slowly builds to a heavy beat to complement the pace of the action that Is unfolding. This is an emergency situation which is being driven by a pretty scary individual with a formidable presents.

The performances throughout are outstanding. The audience will really believe what is happening and fear for those involved. The tension amongst the main characters is palpable as barriers develop , so does the fear. This appears to be a debut film for David Klaut as Sovankary the teenager trying to keep a clean life in helping his father run his Donut shop. This is a mature performance showing great skill in reacting to everything that is going on. Klaut is able to convey the stress that his character is under as the situation becomes more and more perilous. This is supported by the performance of Sam Puefua who plays the gang member Monk. Puefua shows real menace with this character, helped by his physical presence in each scene. The danger they all face feels real and there is no let up in the action. The physical aspects of each performance are choreographed well and the audience is treated to each characters viewpoint, as the camera moves around the scene. Overall this is superb casting.

The director Jimmy Chhiu skilfully navigates each scene in what is a claustrophobic environment. The close up camera work adds to the tension, making the action that much bigger and elevates the threat that each character is under. The opening scene develops the background of the two teenagers. The character Bountha is striving to improve his life and Sovankary is resigned to a future at the shop because this is the only life for those born of refugees. What starts off as an everyday shift soon derails into violence. Chiuu works the script well and has a good eye for location for both internal and external sets. The choice of musical score is perfectly chosen.

The writer is able to present a snapshot of what life is like for gang members in the U.S. They have developed each character and in a short time we learn their background. Even those that don’t make it on screen have an impact on the situation. The audience learns about the family dynamic and the battle Sovankary has to stay on the right side of the law and away from danger. The dialogue sounds authentic which really helps the actors deliver on their performances.

This is a well polished film with some superb performances. It is a mixture of relentless action where the audience will struggle to catch their breath and calm thoughtful dialogue. It is a scene from your worst nightmare and unfortunately scenarios like this are all too common. The viewer will have plenty to contemplate when the film stops rolling.