The films “A River Changes Course” and “Labyrinth of Lies” open today at UNL’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center.
In “A River Changes Course,” filmmaker Kalyanee Mam follows three families facing hard choices due to rapid development in contemporary Cambodia.
Living in the deep jungle, Sav Samourn and her family depend on the forests for food and livelihood. But, with the encroachment of large companies and clearing of forests, Samourn finds there is no room for wild animals and ghosts in the forests she calls home.
In a fishing village, Sari Math is forced to quit school to help support his family. However, when the fish catch steadily dwindles, Math and his family realize their lives as fishermen are changing forever.
From a small village outside of Phnom Penh, Khieu Mok is forced to leave and find work in a garment factory to support her family’s mounting debt. But, life in the city proves no better and Mok becomes torn between obligations to send money home and her duty to be at home with family.
The film shows how radical changes in Cambodia today are transforming not only the country’s landscape, but also the dreams of its people.
Mam will attend the 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 screening of “A River Changes Course” and participate in a question and answer session with the audience. The event is part of the Ross’ Geske Cinema Showcase.
“A River Changes Course” is not rated and shows through Nov. 19.
In “Labyrinth of Lies,” an idealistic German public prosecutor (Alex Fehling) becomes interested in the case of Charles Schulz, a former Nazi officer at Auschwitz turned schoolteacher. During his research, the prosecutor realizes that some Germans claim that they have never heard of Auschwitz, while others try to forget about it. Struggling with an overload of information, the young attorney blunders into a maze of guilt and lies wherein he almost loses himself.
“Labyrinth of Lies” is rated R for a scene of sexuality and plays through Nov. 19.
For more information on films at the Ross, including show times, click here or call 402-472-5353.
