Film
The Forest Whispers
The Forest Whispers is a 2016 Cambodian horror drama by Jimmy Henderson about a cursed, isolated village whose chief will not let its people leave.[1] It is in Khmer, and its original title means "the woman magician."[1][2]
Synopsis
The story is set in a closed village at the foot of the mountains in a premodern time.[2] A drought has left the villagers hungry. Their chief has ruled for years and will not let them move to other lands in search of better luck.[1][2] After a spiritual leader prays for the village, a young woman who does not speak appears among them. The chief gives the villagers one week to decide whether to accept her.[2] Village men who harm her die one after another, and the film leaves open whether she is a witch who brings disaster or a savior.[2] Lida Duch plays the woman, credited as The Stranger, and Dara Our plays Farmer Son, the one villager who takes her side.[3]
Production and credits
Jimmy Henderson directed the film and wrote it with Adam Carr. He and Yim Sosathya produced it, with Okhna Kith Thieng as executive producer.[1] Henderson was also his own cinematographer.[3] The film was shot on location in the countryside with natural light, and it shows Cambodian awe of nature and belief in the spirits and souls that live in it.[2]
Joe Zeitlin composed the score. Simon Terrasier, Amit Dubey and Jimmy Henderson edited the film, and Dara Chek and Jean Baptiste Haehl designed the sound. Vandy Piseth and Harry Leang were assistant directors, Kim Chanthang was production manager, and Dou Pothmolita did the makeup.[1] The cast includes Lida Duch, Siriwudd Sisowath, Dara Our, Sok Sothun, Chhrovy Sem, Lim Kanha, Piseth Reach, Ratha Keo, Khoun Vuthy and Meas Morokot.[1]
Release and reception
The Cambodia Town Film Festival listed the film as a narrative feature in the fantasy, horror and mystery genres, with a running time of 88 minutes.[1] MUBI lists it at 118 minutes.[4] In Cambodia, the way the film showed the woman's body led to debate over whether it rejected Cambodian culture or was art.[2]
The film was an official selection of the 2017 Cambodia Town Film Festival. It had its U.S. premiere there on September 17, 2017, at the Art Theatre in Long Beach, California.[1] It had its Japanese premiere at the Osaka Asian Film Festival in 2018, with screenings on March 14 and March 17.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Cambodia Town Film Festival, CTFF 2017 Official Selection: THE FOREST WHISPERS (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Osaka Asian Film Festival 2018, The Forest Whispers (Japanese)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Don's Horror World, The Forest Whispers (2016) by Jimmy Henderson (March 18, 2018)
- ↑ MUBI, The Forest Whispers (2016)