Buoyancy

The Bravery of the 14 year old slave shines through, hope in a hopeless human story. Corruption of fishing Industry for dog and cat Food To sell in cans at Woolworths and Coles and supermarkets around the world involves Children slaves and humans being abused and exploited. PLEASE STOP BUYING CAT AND DOG FOOD

It was one of the interesting movies to watch during these corona lockdown days. There is actually a lot of injustice and violence in the world and we are very little aware of this. The movie does not only demonstrate the injustices in Cambodian seas, it makes us feel like we are sitting on those comfortable seats whithout doing anything.

The cruel business of Asian forced-labour fishing is no joke, but if you want to make a movie of it, it still has to work as a movie.

Rathjen largely succeeds, aided by fine camera work, and cinematic interludes that break up what would otherwise be an unbearably grim tale. The interludes might be a high-altitude shot of the death boat, a thoughtful moment of beauty, or a flashback to the young conscript's home village.

The ending strikes an apt note, neither too sad nor too sentimental. It's hard to imagine this one will do huge box office, so let's hope that Rathjen comes back for another round. Talented Australian directors are rare, and rarer still do they kick on for longer careers.

No one can hear you out on the open sea. Nobody knows you exist.

A Cambodian boy runs away from his family and a life of poverty, only to discover that there are worse things. He survives by bringing choice fish to the captain and becoming his favorite.

You become afraid of people, even of daylight. If you are lucky enough to avoid the beatings, sicknesses, injuries, torture, and being thrown overboard, a cup of rice is the reward for working around the clock shoveling scraps of fish for dog food. You have nothing. This is your home forever.

An estimated 200,000 people are enslaved in the scrappy fishing industry of southeast Asia. The survivors want to "tell people about their nightmares." Buoyancy is their collected story. This truly captivating story is enough to make me not accept a drink from a stranger ever again.

So this is an Australian film about a very poor, 14 year old Cambodian boy, who gets sick and tired of being exploited by his family (despite many older brothers, he is forced to do all the work in his family and also forced to do free slave labor for neighbors basically sowing rice paddies - and that is major work, son). So he takes a debt to go to Thailand and work. But, because he doesn't pay up front, he is sold into slavery to a fisherman trawler, and from there he experiences all kinds of torture and abuse. The adults can't handle it; will he? This is an exceptional foreign independent film. The film is not brutal but is darkly realistic. The direction, acting, script, cinematography, editing, and score are all top notch. This is a film from last year worth searching out. SEE IT!