During this
past week, me and a couple of my friends were able to catch the
screening of “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” over at the Showcase Cinemas in
Lowell, Massachusetts. Prior to attending the showcasing of this film, I was
met with very little publicity of this documentary. Other than the fact that
the film’s directors were holding some type
of function over at the restaurant hall at Sampao Meas, I found that
this movie didn’t have much of a marketing campaign attached to it
within the immediate community of Lowell. At least from my perspective, I found
that to be the case because I was only told about this documentary from the
advice of Professor George Chigas. Needless to say, his recommendation for
me to watch this movie, as well from many other colleagues of mine, was greatly
appreciated. I stumbled upon the movie trailer for “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten” which had the tagline of Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll, and I was interested to the fact
that there was a documentary made about the Cambodian music scene from the late
50’s all the way to the mid 70’s. As I was watching the trailer, I
thought to myself about the technicalities that were used to produce such a
film. Personally, I feel as if Cambodian cinema is not up-to-standards as
American cinema. Needless to say I was pretty skeptical to even consider
watching this movie. However, as I was digging through the archives of the “Cambodian-side” of Youtube.com, I found myself
stumbling through the many Cambodian oldies sang by Sin Sisamuth and
Ro Sereysothea. Having been growing up by the melodic and angelic voice of
Sin Sisamuth as a child, I found myself showing a much deeper
appreciation to the sounds of Cambodian oldies.
The type of
iconic symbol that Sin Sisamuth had within the Cambodian lifestyle
had put him on a pedestal that made him a living legend. The stature of his
legendary status is documented respectfully well in the movie “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten”, along with many other iconic singers in the movie as
well. At first, the movie comes off as an aesthetic of Cambodian cinema. The
way in which the movie is presented to us, the audience, is unlike any other
Cambodian film I’ve ever seen. Knowing to the fact that his film was
also broadcasted to a much wider audience, rather than a specific Cambodian
population, this film did a superb job on targeting a much bigger and global
audience. While still staying true to its roots, I could tell that this movie
gave off a long and lasting impression. At first, the movie gives off a brief
history on what type of influences fueled the Cambodian music scene during the
early 40’s. Many of the influences were
surprising to me, as a matter of fact. I didn’t know the Afro-Cuban music scene had played a strong
factor into the influence of Cambodian music at the time. Needless to say, this
type of documentary was illuminating the light of the joy that Cambodian music
has amongst the people of that time.
Throughout
many moments in the film, the audience is given a stronger point of view by
some of the musicians who lived through the golden era of music in Cambodia. As
well as Cambodian music connoisseurs, the movie is able to give personal
accounts on what the Cambodian music did for people living in the late 60s and
early 70s. As I was watching this movie, I saw the love for this type of music
to be uplifting. The amount of memories that the interviewees were recollecting
created a sense of nostalgia that they strongly remember. I felt the absolute
joy in which some of these people felt during their times when they would enjoy
the music themselves during their younger years. The Cambodian music scene went
through so many periods of within their culture that the people of Cambodia
would soon feel the change.
My initial
reaction to this film as a whole was heartwarming. I felt the effort and care
that was used to create this type of documentary; a type of perspective that I
would have never found myself showing watching a documentary as a whole. There
is no better feeling than seeing a movie that is well-done, and perfectly
executed like a movie such as “Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten”. Everything done within this movie showcases the
beauty that Cambodians found themselves in, by using music as their outlet.
This type of music represented itself as an emotional high for the Cambodian
people to be apart of. To see the icons who made this music be
tragically taken away during the Khmer Rouge makes the Cambodian music of that
time an entity both mysterious, yet precious. There is no doubt in my mind that
the music is the soul of a nation, and to Cambodians, music is more than just
something you listen to; it’s something that you live by. It’s an entity that makes you become
closer with others and helps a nation feel the weight of the emotion that these
musical artists put through their words and songs.
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