Abstract:

"This is the story of Thavro Phim, who came of age under the Pol Pot regime and lost his father, brother, and grandfather to the blood-thirsty Khmer Rouge. What kept him whole after the ordeal was his Buddhist faith and dedication to Cambodian classical dance where he performs the role of Hanuman, the magical white monkey. We follow Thavro from California to Cambodia, a country still in turmoil, for a bittersweet reunion with his family and teachers. The film takes us back to the years 1975-79 when 90 percent of the dancers were executed or died of starvation or disease. Their story leads to Cambodia's Killing Fields, the refugee camps, and to Yale University's Cambodian Genocide Project which helped to reunite families. The film shows how Khmer children who survived Cambodia's darkest hour are being taught, both in Cambodia and America, to carry on their dance tradition for the sake of cultural survival." --VHS Container