VENICE 2021: White Building ‘Bodeng Sar’
VENICE 2021Director Kavich Neang's White Building is a film that perfectly, and quite hauntingly, encapsulates the feeling of isolation and loneliness. Set in the backdrop of a financially suffocated neighbourhood of Cambodia, Neang's film follows the harsh realities of capitalism, gentrification, and the stubbornness of family bonds.
This is a feature that overflows with life and chaos. It finds the central character amid this helpless and isolated world yet surrounded by life and warmth. This oxymoronic thematic relationship crafts a strong and embedding bond for the feature to play out. Said mood and thematics are brought tenderly forward by the performances, specifically lead Piseth Chhun, who slowly but surely crafts a tender performance of isolation and fear. The latter is a multifaceted and nuanced angle that writer-director Kavich Neang and co-writer Daniel Mattes bring about in varied and dynamic screenplay, that aforementioned touches on quite a few socio-political undertones and consistent overtones.
These avenues of flavour give Chhun a great deal of material to flourish and prosper in what is a slightly stoic curation of this character but one that bubbles away with internal anguish in reflection of the plot. Not necessarily exploding but undeniably raising the emotive bar when the time comes. The material, on the whole, comes across as incredibly allegorical – though not necessarily an allegory for depression or such a feeling of grief. Nevertheless, there is no doubt a more profound and poignant discussion present on despair and tribulation within this community and the political agenda occurring in Cambodia.
Without undercutting or undermining the feature, Kavich Neang's White Building is a beautiful, foreboding surprise. Shot with outstanding intimate photography from Douglas Seok that reaffirms the brooding nature of proceedings and a thoughtful and spaced edit from Félix Rehm that allows the themes and character to meditate with intent – crafting a delightfully stoic and poignant piece of cinema.
