Unlike most films in the series, this one is not about a stranger. If Kunthea—my ex-wife—is, in a way, estranged, she is an exception. She is also an exceptional dancer, formerly with the Royal Ballet of Cambodia.
We filmed this moment in 2012 at the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh. I’m sharing it now because April 17, 2025—just a few days from the time of posting—will mark 50 years since the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. That day changed Kunthea’s life: the regime took her youth, her innocence, and her father, mother, and brothers. She was 8 years old. Like all residents of Phnom Penh, the family had 24 hours to leave the city for four years of forced labour in far-flung fields, until the fall of the regime.
An estimated two million Cambodians—nearly a quarter of the population—were massacred under the Khmer Rouge.
Kunthea’s testimony shows how difficult it can be to convey such a past. But seeing her struggle to speak says more than words could. That’s why testimonies like this matter—especially in a time when the world is growing increasingly radicalized.
Meanwhile, in 1975, I was a teenager in my bedroom discovering Pink Floyd’s newly released "Wish You Were Here"—an ironic title in this context. Kunthea was trapped in a country she had not chosen to be born in. What was she doing there?
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The video is part of the Strangers.Now film series.
Films and texts © Eric Vander Borght – www.ericvan.com – linktr.ee/vanderbo
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Note: The subjects of the films usually speak their mother tongue or a language they feel comfortable with: we believe that embracing diverse forms of expression makes the world a richer place. On YouTube, English subtitles can be activated via the relevant icon, and automatic translation into many languages (desktop only) is accessible through the gear icon in the bottom-right corner of the videos (see below).
The YouTube playlist: www.strangers.tube
Opening music by Jérôme Chauvel
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