Abstract:

As a young child, Kodaim Ear survived the suffering the Khmer Rouge inflicted on Cambodia. He lost his parents and three sisters and was saved by his cunning and determined grandfather who enabled the remaining family members to survive the rigors of forced labor in the countryside. Now thirty, and recently married, Kodaim resolves to revisit the land of his childhood, to re-trace his terrifying journey to freedom. He needs to "face the demons" by putting the images of terror to rest and restoring the memory of his parents. Along with Kodaim¹s personal story, this compelling documentary traces the history of Cambodia from the reign of King Sihanouk, to his overthrow, with American support, by Lon Nol, a right wing former police chief. This corrupt regime was toppled by the insurgent Khmer Rouge and the country spiraled downward into mayhem and genocide. We hear first hand how the cities were emptied out, and the professional class forced into rural areas to work the land. People starved, sickened and died. When war broke out between Vietnam and Cambodia, Kodaim and his grandfather fled to safety in Vietnamese-controlled Cambodia. But their odyssey did not end there and we learn how they picked their way through mine fields and trekked through mountains without food or water. The path of escape would lead to Thailand and finally to the safe haven of Canada