Tear-jerker

Socheata Poeuv as a baby

I didn't intend to watch New Year Baby at Meta House tonight as I had tickets for the MTVExit concert at the Olympic Stadium but I got so pissed off with waiting for the thing to start, I left and took myself along to Meta to watch Socheata Poeuv's moving and sentimental 75-minute documentary. I first saw the film in Oxford in March 2007 and it was just as good to watch it again, as I had to hold back a few tears in order not to make myself look a big cissy. You can read my original review here and if you haven't seen it, you should. A very powerful and very personal story. And I had to show solidarity as Hanuman Films, my company, did all the leg-work to get it filmed here in Cambodia.

As for the MTVExit concert, don't get me started on that. Scheduled to kick-off at 4pm, I was on time and three hours later was still waiting for the bloody show to begin. By this time I had completely lost patience, especially after watching half an hour of kiss-arse speeches from various sponsors and do-gooders who all professed their love for Sar Kheng and the government. It was cringeworthy. I couldn't be bothered to hang around any longer especially to listen to headliners I'd never heard of - Click who? Okay, I did want to hear the line-up of Khmer superstars but I can wait for another day to hear them. It was well attended for sure (including a group of demented screaming barangs) and I should know that nothing in Cambodia ever starts on time, but I'd already lost my rag at the heavy-handed security buffoons, who couldn't organize a piss-up in a brewery, and three hours late is enough to try the patience of a saint. I hope they suffered from one of Phnom Penh's regular power outages.

Animation helped to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge in New Year Baby