The Betrayal

The Betrayal refers to broken promises. But The Betrayal isn't a revenge genre film, say something like Kill Bill. The Betrayal is a documentary and the title refers to how our country dropped the ball.
It may come as a surprise but probably not so much that the United States fought a war in Indochina commonly referred to as the Vietnam War. It was a war this country lost, and if nothing else this is a country that knows how to live by the popular phrase "cut your losses." Thavisouk Phrasavath, a co-director of The Betraytal along with distaff cinematographer Ellen Kuras, was one of the losses.
His father worked as an informer of sorts for the CIA during the Laotian phase of the Vietnam War. When the war was over the formers supporters of the U.S. effort were own their own in their own land. Phrasavath and his family (in particular his mother and sister) after being separated and after a few years find themselves transplanted to a Brooklyn tenement, next to crack dealers and with gang violence rife. The Betrayal attempts to put his viewpoint, and the feelings of his mother, across to the audience. The first generational immigrant experience if you will washes over you along with imagery of the present neighborhood as well as Laos.
The film comes alive from archival footage of Laos being bombed into the stone age. It's a misleading statement but true that the U.S. dropped more tonnage by air on Laos than all the bombing raids of WWII. By contrast there are endless shots that look like Hi-8 footage of anything (the yard, traffic going by) that only serves as a visual to Laotian prayers and wise and sage thoughts. This part of the film tends to drag, and it occurs a lot.
Stating that The Betrayal was shot over a period of 23 years leads the audience to conclusions that aren't supported by the filmmaking. Some of the footage shows an 80s teen Thavisouk hanging with his gang. This part of the film works. Yet other set-ups are so artfully composed it's obvious that its staged and not verite. It's an odd juxtaposition that The Betrayal never overcomes. The film offers too many meditative thoughts and not enough real drama.
Be that as it may, The Betrayal pays off with intimate mother-son moments where the lad's life must take a positive spin or their family and relatives, seemingly separated forever from their true homeland, will cease to exist as a nuclear unit. The Betrayal is playing exclusively at the Angelika Film Center.