The Roots Remain (“˜Retour aux sources’): Phnom Penh Review1 min read

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The Canadian directorial duo’s debut follows Montreal-based graffiti artisti FONKi’s rediscovery of his family’s Cambodian origins as he finishes a mural in the country’s capital.

Chronicling a Cambodian-Canadian graffiti artist’s personal trek in reconnecting with his family’s and his ancestral land’s tragic Khmer Rouge-affected past, The Roots Remain is a mesmerizing documentary boasting immense intellectual depth and emotional heft. Backed by Rithy Panh – who no doubt provided a lot of advice and help in sourcing and weaving stunning archive footage into the film – first-time directors Jean-Sebastien Francoeur and Andrew Marchand-Boddy have produced a moving hybrid of reflections on how history and hip-hop factor into Cambodia’s social and cultural existence. The Roots Remain is bound for a more sustained run beyond the filmmakers’ “home” territories after its first show outside North America at the Cambodia International Film Festival.

The title stems from a scene early on in the film, when graffiti artist FONKi is seen coming to terms with how he could practice his art during his three-month stay in Cambodia. Dismayed by the way the authorities painted over his first mural – despite having actively sought out and received the green light from the local police chief before he set to work – he sprays “The Roots Remain” over the now whitewashed wall. While a tag born out of frustration, the phrase could point to the Paris-born, Montreal-raised artist’s efforts to acknowledge ancestral origins obscured by his upbringing in the white, Western hemisphere. It could also be a howl against power-wielding players seeking to wipe out Cambodia’s social fabric, from the Khmer Rouge’s murderous ideology of the past to present-day vulture-like entrepreneurs with their slash-and-burn property development projects.

Read the full article here>>via The Hollywood Reporter