A moving well written tale, well told, with moving performances by all of the mainly amateur cast. An excellent insight to a wonderful country still suffering from the devastation brought about by its proximity to Vietnam. The movies does not descend into sentimentality or the tired over used clichés found in so many of the main stream releases. The child protagonists carry the film along at a pleasing pace and highlight the problems experienced in a battle scared country.The film deserves the accolades it has received to date and I am sure it is due for more critical acclaim. Well worth some of your precious time and the film is good entertainment for the entire family.
21 Reviews
A beautiful misery
jeffrey-luz-ishoy26 June 2014
Warning: Spoilers
The Rocket is a movie that will make your soul weep once or twice, unless you are a rock or an iceberg. A young boy, Ahlo, sets out to build a rocket to earn the family enough money to buy some land. Being a twin, he is seen as bad luck to the family and becomes a scapegoat for all bad that happens: His mother's death, a short-circuit in the electricity in the small place they live in among other things. Having been moved from their old place (due to a reconstruction of a dam that will flood their habitat) little Ahlo is forced to move away with his father.
As they find a new place, they are evicted with a short notice of two days. Coincidentally, there is a rocket festival going on – a competition about building the greater rocket that will go far enough to "hit God in the ass" and hence make it rain. Little Ahlo ceases the opportunity to redeem his scapegoat reputation and to save the family, planning to win the competition, winning the money that will buy his family the heavily needed piece of land. This is a must-see movie for those who have enough empathy to spend 90 minutes of their lives, watching a little boy and a little girl, wandering through a difficult life of laughter and tragedy, hand in hand.
As they find a new place, they are evicted with a short notice of two days. Coincidentally, there is a rocket festival going on – a competition about building the greater rocket that will go far enough to "hit God in the ass" and hence make it rain. Little Ahlo ceases the opportunity to redeem his scapegoat reputation and to save the family, planning to win the competition, winning the money that will buy his family the heavily needed piece of land. This is a must-see movie for those who have enough empathy to spend 90 minutes of their lives, watching a little boy and a little girl, wandering through a difficult life of laughter and tragedy, hand in hand.
A well shot and lovely little tale
eddie_baggins27 April 2014
An Australian co-production that deserves to be seen by a lot more than would've currently experienced it, The Rocket is one of those feel good films that is impossible not to fall for despite it not quite going on with the early promise of the possibility of a new classic.
Director Kim Mordaunt clearly has a spot in his heart for the people of Laos (where this film is set), no doubt stemming from his time filming his scary and touching documentary on the amount of unexploded bombs left over in the country in the 2007 doco Bomb Harvest. Weaving his knowledge of this true life aspect of the country Mordaunt tailors a touching story around it that features some stand out child actors and a particularly groovy uncle in the form of the James Brown loving Uncle Purple played very well by Suthep Po-ngam, but in the end it is the aforementioned child actors that steal the film and make it what it is.
As determined and supposedly cursed young boy Ahlo young actor Sitthiphon Disamoe does a supreme job of portraying a boy that unfortunately bares the stigma of being born a twin into a village that believes twins carry a curse. Ahlo's journey that he takes with family is fraught with both sadness and joy and it's here that the film struggles to lay hold onto what it's setting out to achieve with moments of emotion not played out to full effect and comedic elements feeling misplaced amongst them. Mordaunt must of found it hard to place all these varying emotions into the right place and the films last 20 – 30 minutes really shows this. Mordaunt however excels at capturing the beautiful and at times scary images of the country and his direction of Disamoe and also young actress Loungnam Kaosainam as Ahlo's friend Kia is exemplary, a fine achievement for an Australian director in what is an area that often trips up other compatriots.
Submitted as Australia's entry into this year's Academy Awards foreign film category and playing well to festivals the world over its clear many feel an affection for this unique and often heart-warming tale. Australia should be proud of what Mordaunt has achieved here and even prouder of his efforts to highlight the horror of what Laos still has to deal with today thanks to a war that is now sadly largely forgotten.
3 and a half unwashed purple suits out of 5
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www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com
Director Kim Mordaunt clearly has a spot in his heart for the people of Laos (where this film is set), no doubt stemming from his time filming his scary and touching documentary on the amount of unexploded bombs left over in the country in the 2007 doco Bomb Harvest. Weaving his knowledge of this true life aspect of the country Mordaunt tailors a touching story around it that features some stand out child actors and a particularly groovy uncle in the form of the James Brown loving Uncle Purple played very well by Suthep Po-ngam, but in the end it is the aforementioned child actors that steal the film and make it what it is.
As determined and supposedly cursed young boy Ahlo young actor Sitthiphon Disamoe does a supreme job of portraying a boy that unfortunately bares the stigma of being born a twin into a village that believes twins carry a curse. Ahlo's journey that he takes with family is fraught with both sadness and joy and it's here that the film struggles to lay hold onto what it's setting out to achieve with moments of emotion not played out to full effect and comedic elements feeling misplaced amongst them. Mordaunt must of found it hard to place all these varying emotions into the right place and the films last 20 – 30 minutes really shows this. Mordaunt however excels at capturing the beautiful and at times scary images of the country and his direction of Disamoe and also young actress Loungnam Kaosainam as Ahlo's friend Kia is exemplary, a fine achievement for an Australian director in what is an area that often trips up other compatriots.
Submitted as Australia's entry into this year's Academy Awards foreign film category and playing well to festivals the world over its clear many feel an affection for this unique and often heart-warming tale. Australia should be proud of what Mordaunt has achieved here and even prouder of his efforts to highlight the horror of what Laos still has to deal with today thanks to a war that is now sadly largely forgotten.
3 and a half unwashed purple suits out of 5
For more movie reviews and opinions check out -
www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com
A plot as imaginative as anything else out there.
JohnDeSando29 January 2014
Tired of the Oscar race and its obviously-baiting nominees? The Rocket, set in Laos, is more unusual and imaginative than anything you will see, even Her, under the Oscar umbrella. Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), a surviving Laotian twin at birth and therefore potentially bad luck for his family, travels with his family and two friends to find a new home after being displaced by plans for another dam.
Not only is Ahlo played by a new young actor who keeps your sympathy, but also Kia (Loungnman Kaosainam), his girl friend (he can't be more than 10 and she about 9) is equally charming and intelligent. Their journey is plagued by setbacks, yet Ahlo remains intrepid and creative as he finally plans to nix this curse and become a hero.
So far the film is filled with bizarre adventures, mostly suggesting he is a curse on the family as bad luck plagues it (It's not Little Miss Sunshine's pleasant turbulence; however, Rocket's family is an eccentric crew). One of the most interesting fairs to be seen ever in film is the Rocket Contest, held each year to send missiles to the clouds to induce rain, to "poke the gods' arse," or something like that. This event is the Holy Grail of the family's journey, a way to gain prize money and to counter the bad karma of Ahlo's birth.
The natural performances of Beasts of the Southern Wild echo in The Rocket, both leads believable as intrepid young, underprivileged waifs of pluck and imagination. The relationship between Ahlo and his loving but too vulnerable father, Toma (Sumrit Warin) is reminiscent of father and son in Vittorio DeSica's Bicycle Thief. Caitlin Yeo's original score, never obtrusive, like the film itself, tells the story with dignity and respect for the characters.
Writer-director Kim Mordaunt has balanced the disparate elements perfectly. And best of all, it is not some exploitative tome about the emerging third world. It's about family! Its formulaic nature and slight drift to the sentimental do not keep it from being an original work of merit.
The Rocket, winner of the World Narrative prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, is one of the year's best movies with a plot as imaginative as anything else out there.
Not only is Ahlo played by a new young actor who keeps your sympathy, but also Kia (Loungnman Kaosainam), his girl friend (he can't be more than 10 and she about 9) is equally charming and intelligent. Their journey is plagued by setbacks, yet Ahlo remains intrepid and creative as he finally plans to nix this curse and become a hero.
So far the film is filled with bizarre adventures, mostly suggesting he is a curse on the family as bad luck plagues it (It's not Little Miss Sunshine's pleasant turbulence; however, Rocket's family is an eccentric crew). One of the most interesting fairs to be seen ever in film is the Rocket Contest, held each year to send missiles to the clouds to induce rain, to "poke the gods' arse," or something like that. This event is the Holy Grail of the family's journey, a way to gain prize money and to counter the bad karma of Ahlo's birth.
The natural performances of Beasts of the Southern Wild echo in The Rocket, both leads believable as intrepid young, underprivileged waifs of pluck and imagination. The relationship between Ahlo and his loving but too vulnerable father, Toma (Sumrit Warin) is reminiscent of father and son in Vittorio DeSica's Bicycle Thief. Caitlin Yeo's original score, never obtrusive, like the film itself, tells the story with dignity and respect for the characters.
Writer-director Kim Mordaunt has balanced the disparate elements perfectly. And best of all, it is not some exploitative tome about the emerging third world. It's about family! Its formulaic nature and slight drift to the sentimental do not keep it from being an original work of merit.
The Rocket, winner of the World Narrative prize at the Tribeca Film Festival, is one of the year's best movies with a plot as imaginative as anything else out there.
A beautiful tale
que_no_me_toque_un_alto_delante9 November 2015
The screenplay combines local aspects of life and traditions of Laos, with a way of telling which makes it universal. The story opens in a very pleasant way, and continues to evolve throughout the film. Give it up for the boy Disamoe. He was chosen for this movie as a child of the street, without acting training. Excels in the paper. The work is very surprising, showing a display of acting abilities that promises much (if we ever get to see him again). The girl is also fine. These films, a priori,are great, because they let us spy places and realities unknown to us: in this case Laos, a place not only devastated by poverty, but by the legacy of war. A direction and a highly polished, at times almost poetic photograph, which embellishes the horrors being shown. The director is showing various aspects of the life of the "not favored" in this country, trying to maintain a balance between drama and very harsh situations on the one hand, and moments of laughter, or lightened on the other. I must say that it has perhaps predictable moments, commonplaces and more corny ones, but I think maybe were attempts to avoid falling into melodrama and total tragedy that could have been. The director could have opted for something more authentic, and not so standard. I think that in that difficulty lies the reason because this has not become a great movie; despite which it still is worth seeing. (Detail: amazing "James Brown" character) For an amazing blog, visit: quenometoque.wix.com/unaltodelante
The Rocket is effective, simple storytelling with many layers and a film that tells more stories than its narrative suggests.
AgentDice16 December 2013
Trekking through the dangerous jungles of Laos, 10-year old Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe) is determined to convince his superstitious family that he is not a lightning rod for bad luck.
Blessed with a nutty uncle obsessed with James Brown (Thep Phongam) and caught in the middle of a village relocation program over the building of a dam, Ahlo's eventful journey takes him through the scarred landscape of his home, littered with Vietnam-era bombs that are still waiting to go off.
Australian writer/director Kim Mordaunt was inspired to make this wistful, often lyrical film after his 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, which told of the annual toll claimed by the unexploded bombs in Laos.
Thankfully he layers the unavoidable political notes with real warmth, humour and character, a quality that clearly benefited from using a mix of professional and non-professional actors. Mordaunt also knows how to use irony without pushing it; as Ahlo aims to prove his worth at a big rocket festival, we're reminded that The Rocket is not a political allegory, it's an offbeat, celebratory coming-of-age story about a kid.
Blessed with a nutty uncle obsessed with James Brown (Thep Phongam) and caught in the middle of a village relocation program over the building of a dam, Ahlo's eventful journey takes him through the scarred landscape of his home, littered with Vietnam-era bombs that are still waiting to go off.
Australian writer/director Kim Mordaunt was inspired to make this wistful, often lyrical film after his 2007 documentary Bomb Harvest, which told of the annual toll claimed by the unexploded bombs in Laos.
Thankfully he layers the unavoidable political notes with real warmth, humour and character, a quality that clearly benefited from using a mix of professional and non-professional actors. Mordaunt also knows how to use irony without pushing it; as Ahlo aims to prove his worth at a big rocket festival, we're reminded that The Rocket is not a political allegory, it's an offbeat, celebratory coming-of-age story about a kid.
Uplifting tale of survival
Buddy-5121 July 2014
An unlikely underdog-story from Australia, "The Rocket" showcases the struggles of a Laotian family as they go in search of a new home after the construction of a dam forces them to abandon their native village, a situation that is emblematic of how indigenous people the world over are callously pushed aside to make way for an impersonal modern world.
Young Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), the central character in the story, comes from a culture that believes that twins are by their very nature either good or evil, and since Ahlo is himself a surviving twin (his brother having been stillborn), the family - his mild-mannered father and cantankerous, superstitious grandmother - can't quite decide whether he's a good luck charm or a bad luck charm, though they suspect he is probably the latter. This puts Ahlo in the rather awkward position of feeling like every time some calamity befalls the family, he is somehow indirectly responsible for it. The three travelers are accompanied by an elderly Laotian who, as a child, fought on the side of the Americans during the war and who's so obsessed with James Brown that he dresses like him and carries his recordings with him wherever he goes, and his feisty little niece who quickly becomes Ahlo's confidante and companion on the journey.
The crux of the plot is Ahlo's attempts to win a cash prize for the best homemade rocket built out of the many un-detonated explosives that lie strewn across the countryside, a sad and painful remnant of the long-ago war that, all these years later, continues to cast an indomitable shadow over the region. It's a contest with its roots planted partly in science and partly in traditional superstition, since the goal is to appease the gods by seeding the clouds in the hope of making it rain.
Improbable as it is at times, the movie demonstrates that, even among the have-nots in this world, there is often still a caste system designed to keep a person from advancing in life, but that with a little ingenuity, determination and a few handy resources, it's hard to keep an optimistic and spirited boy down.
Young Ahlo (Sitthiphon Disamoe), the central character in the story, comes from a culture that believes that twins are by their very nature either good or evil, and since Ahlo is himself a surviving twin (his brother having been stillborn), the family - his mild-mannered father and cantankerous, superstitious grandmother - can't quite decide whether he's a good luck charm or a bad luck charm, though they suspect he is probably the latter. This puts Ahlo in the rather awkward position of feeling like every time some calamity befalls the family, he is somehow indirectly responsible for it. The three travelers are accompanied by an elderly Laotian who, as a child, fought on the side of the Americans during the war and who's so obsessed with James Brown that he dresses like him and carries his recordings with him wherever he goes, and his feisty little niece who quickly becomes Ahlo's confidante and companion on the journey.
The crux of the plot is Ahlo's attempts to win a cash prize for the best homemade rocket built out of the many un-detonated explosives that lie strewn across the countryside, a sad and painful remnant of the long-ago war that, all these years later, continues to cast an indomitable shadow over the region. It's a contest with its roots planted partly in science and partly in traditional superstition, since the goal is to appease the gods by seeding the clouds in the hope of making it rain.
Improbable as it is at times, the movie demonstrates that, even among the have-nots in this world, there is often still a caste system designed to keep a person from advancing in life, but that with a little ingenuity, determination and a few handy resources, it's hard to keep an optimistic and spirited boy down.
Unique visual story
bridon-792-52863515 September 2013
Wonderful documentary style story. Scenes still have great impact on me. The casual acting styles of the children were captivating & led to credence all the way through the film. Confronting issues & imagery were simply presented without sentimental or 'fluffy' enhancement. The stories of each character were presented so realistically by apparently unsophisticated actors, with the cinematography displaying facial & scenic imagery so beautifully & again simply, so as to encourage the feel of realism & the documentary style. Would expect more awards to be coming this films way. Started out as a 'bookclub' task & left me with a lifelong impact.
provides an engaging insight into this exotic land and its rich culture
gregking422 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
The debut feature film from acclaimed documentary filmmaker Kim Mordaunt, The Rocket is a disarmingly charming coming of age film set in war ravaged Laos. Mordaunt previously made Bomb Harvest, which followed a bomb disposal expert training a new team to deal with the unexploded bombs from the US's secret war against Cambodia from the 70s still littering the landscape. Obviously Mordaunt has drawn elements of this fictitious story from that film. According to local lore, when twins are born, one is blessed and one is cursed. Ahlo (played by 10-year old newcomer Sitthiphon Disamoe) is the survivor of twins born to Mali (Alice Keohavong) but his grandmother believes that he is cursed. A number of incidents seem to bear this out - his village is due to be flooded to make way for a new dam; his mother is killed in a freak accident while relocating; he causes his house to be burnt down by angry neighbours. The only people who believe in Ahlo are the young girl Kia (Loungnam Kaosainam) and her uncle (Thep Phogam), who styles himself after the great blues singer James Brown. A bond develops between these outcasts. Ahlo competes in an annual rocket building competition, the winner of which receives money and great respect, hoping to change his family's fortunes. Can Ahlo change his family's fortunes, or is he indeed cursed? Beautifully filmed on location in Laos by cinematographer Andrew Commis (Mabo, The Slap, etc), The Rocket looks superb and provides an engaging insight into this exotic land and its rich culture. Mordaunt draws naturalistic performances from the small cast of largely non professional actors.
A beautiful and intense journey of a Laos boy fighting his curse
mludajic11 April 2013
The film 'The Rocket' encompasses beautiful, honorable and unique sets of attributes that have touched me and I expect will touch audiences around the world. What is remarkable, is that the heart of this story is actually transferable to any community in our world. 'The Rocket' is one of the first proper feature films based in Laos. It shows its stunning landscape with excellent cinematography and also touches tastefully on some controversial issues, which have been shaping the country in the past and the present. The sensitive storyline includes many layers that give it texture, which makes it such a rich movie and exiting journey for the audience. The acting, especially by the main cast, is very convincing and touching. The two child protagonists are extraordinary! All in all a unique feature film that takes you on a heart moving journey.
This film by director Kim Morduant has managed to charm viewers at many film festivals.
FilmCriticLalitRao6 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
A viewer would do tremendous justice to "The Rocket" by describing it as a film loaded with joyful entertainment albeit coupled with an earnest message. The film begins in a shocking manner as viewers are shown how during a delivery of twins, one of the baby dies. At a latter stage, the boy who has survived death is censured for having taken his mother's life in a freak accident. This incident points to numerous illogical acts of superstitions which continue to prevail in many countries. According to them, a person is directly or indirectly responsible for the life or the death of another person. 'The Rocket' starts as a drama but quickly transforms itself into a comedy with a message. It makes a lot of sense to viewers who want to know about the handling of serious issues in films as one gets a frank view of what happens when people are displaced due to the construction of dams. What makes "The Rocket" special for adults is that this film is able to strike a perfect chord with young children and teenage viewers. It shows them why the world of children is highly unpredictable as it cannot be fully understood by adults.
Beautiful
billcr1222 March 2014
A little boy has the misfortune of being the surviving twin in Laos, where tradition holds that he has 50/50 chance of bringing bad luck to all those around him. Ahlo lives in a village with his mother, father, and grandmother, when news of a new hydro electric dam disrupts their lives by uprooting them to another, supposedly better place. While dragging all of their possessions up a steep hill, tragedy strikes, and of course the young boy is blamed, especially by his superstitious grandma. They amble on to a town which holds a rocket festival every year with a cash prize. Ahlo decides to build a rocket to prove that he isn't always the messenger of doom. The actor playing Ahlo is tremendous, as is the little girl, Kia, his best friend in the film. Check IMDb credits for their long and difficult names. Rocket will have you jumping up and cheering for this underdog to finally be accepted. One of the ten best movies of the year, and severely overlooked.
Oh, good. Hackneyed poverty porn.
maxfitz473017 August 2014
Warning: Spoilers
Does this film seriously contain a line of dialogue where a dirty brown person looks at a clean toilet given to him by a well-dressed, clean white man and then make an argument that he'd rather go back to pooping on the dirt?
Yes. Yes, it does.
I understand that white guilt is great for getting award nominations and then winning some of those awards, but The Rocket is the most sickening type of poverty porn film out there. The film goes out of it's way to paint the Lao as underdeveloped savages, while at the same time blaming the loss of their simple, noble life on white people.
The film plays like a 'greatest hits' list of third world oppression, that the directors seems to have pulled from the first page Google results of a search for 'Problems with Laos'. UXO's? Check. Village relocation due to encroaching Australian hydro-power projects? Check. Corrupt government officials ruling the peasants through bribery and strong-arm violence? Check.
The problem is, while these are probably real problems in Laos, the film's need to hit every point on the list during it's 90 minute runtime only serves to trivialize the reality of what's probably happening in Laos. It's hard to believe that one little boy would have his life uprooted by an infrastructure development, only to be blown up several times by old bombs. In the end, the entire film feels like the director just wants you to CARE SO MUCH about all the problems that the Western world has brought to these poor brown, ground poopers... But he jumps from subject to subject so quickly that he glosses over any sort of complexity that might help any audience member to actually have anything less than the superficial understanding the director things will make a tear come to your eye.
He's found the heartstrings, and he just haphazardly plucks away. It's almost like after running that first Google search for 'Problems with Laos', Mordaunt Googled, 'How to manipulate festival judges into awarding your film prizes by exploiting poor people.' Hopefully, Mordaunt will make The Rocket 2, and he can film a Lao child covered in flies.
Yes. Yes, it does.
I understand that white guilt is great for getting award nominations and then winning some of those awards, but The Rocket is the most sickening type of poverty porn film out there. The film goes out of it's way to paint the Lao as underdeveloped savages, while at the same time blaming the loss of their simple, noble life on white people.
The film plays like a 'greatest hits' list of third world oppression, that the directors seems to have pulled from the first page Google results of a search for 'Problems with Laos'. UXO's? Check. Village relocation due to encroaching Australian hydro-power projects? Check. Corrupt government officials ruling the peasants through bribery and strong-arm violence? Check.
The problem is, while these are probably real problems in Laos, the film's need to hit every point on the list during it's 90 minute runtime only serves to trivialize the reality of what's probably happening in Laos. It's hard to believe that one little boy would have his life uprooted by an infrastructure development, only to be blown up several times by old bombs. In the end, the entire film feels like the director just wants you to CARE SO MUCH about all the problems that the Western world has brought to these poor brown, ground poopers... But he jumps from subject to subject so quickly that he glosses over any sort of complexity that might help any audience member to actually have anything less than the superficial understanding the director things will make a tear come to your eye.
He's found the heartstrings, and he just haphazardly plucks away. It's almost like after running that first Google search for 'Problems with Laos', Mordaunt Googled, 'How to manipulate festival judges into awarding your film prizes by exploiting poor people.' Hopefully, Mordaunt will make The Rocket 2, and he can film a Lao child covered in flies.
Full of spirit and genuine warmth
howard.schumann1 October 2013
There have been some outstanding child performances this year including that of Tye Sheridan, Liam James, Kacey Mottet Klein, and others, but none better than little Sitthiphon Disamoe's in Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket. A hit at the Berlinale, The Rocket also took top prizes at the Tribeca Film Festival including the Best Narrative Feature, Audience Award, and the Best Actor award for Disamoe. An Australian, Laotian, and Thai co-production, the film can be accused of being formulaic, but it is so full of spirit and genuine warmth that it more than earns its audience appeal.
Shot in northern Laos, Mordaunt does not hesitate to remind of us of the legacy of American bombs dropped during the Vietnam War and still visible in the vegetation, nor does he flinch from depicting the reality of poverty and exploitation. In the film, Ahlo (Disamoe) is a ten-year-old full of high energy but burdened with having to prove that he is not the carrier of bad luck. Born in a small hut in a remote Laotian village, Ahlo is a twin whose sibling died during childbirth and whose grandmother Taitok (Bunsri Yindi) proclaimed that he was cursed from the outset. Sadly, distressing events in his young life seemed to give credence to the prophecy.
As their village was being torn down to make room for a dam, Ahlo (now ten-years-old) and his family are relocated to a shantytown that is worse than their former home; the boy's mother Mali (Alice Kaohavong) is involved in a tragic accident, and Ahlo's relationship with his father Toma (Sumrit Warin) becomes distant and strained. Feeling alone, he develops a friendship with Kia (Loungnam Kaosainam) a young girl whose family died from malaria, and who lives with her quirky "Uncle Purple," (Thep Phongam), a heavy drinker and ex-soldier who models himself after American singer James Brown.
After taking food from a holy place, Ahlo's attempt to return it causes serious problems for his family and they are forced to go on the road looking for a new home. When they stumble on an annual rocket festival where top prizes lure participants to build and launch the best rocket into the sky to beseech the sky gods to bring rain, Ahlo seizes the opportunity to bury his image as the carrier of bad luck. While The Rocket requires a suspension of disbelief, it is only a small possibility that you will leave the theater unmoved.
Shot in northern Laos, Mordaunt does not hesitate to remind of us of the legacy of American bombs dropped during the Vietnam War and still visible in the vegetation, nor does he flinch from depicting the reality of poverty and exploitation. In the film, Ahlo (Disamoe) is a ten-year-old full of high energy but burdened with having to prove that he is not the carrier of bad luck. Born in a small hut in a remote Laotian village, Ahlo is a twin whose sibling died during childbirth and whose grandmother Taitok (Bunsri Yindi) proclaimed that he was cursed from the outset. Sadly, distressing events in his young life seemed to give credence to the prophecy.
As their village was being torn down to make room for a dam, Ahlo (now ten-years-old) and his family are relocated to a shantytown that is worse than their former home; the boy's mother Mali (Alice Kaohavong) is involved in a tragic accident, and Ahlo's relationship with his father Toma (Sumrit Warin) becomes distant and strained. Feeling alone, he develops a friendship with Kia (Loungnam Kaosainam) a young girl whose family died from malaria, and who lives with her quirky "Uncle Purple," (Thep Phongam), a heavy drinker and ex-soldier who models himself after American singer James Brown.
After taking food from a holy place, Ahlo's attempt to return it causes serious problems for his family and they are forced to go on the road looking for a new home. When they stumble on an annual rocket festival where top prizes lure participants to build and launch the best rocket into the sky to beseech the sky gods to bring rain, Ahlo seizes the opportunity to bury his image as the carrier of bad luck. While The Rocket requires a suspension of disbelief, it is only a small possibility that you will leave the theater unmoved.
Forget Bad Luck, This Film Soars
stevieb1001912 January 2014
Don't be misled by the trailers about a boy that brings bad luck, which is a cheap version of this deep, moving story, set in great native beauty, Laos. This film brings great dignity to the poor of the world. The story is carefully laid into the history of Laos: people who are picking up bombs dropped by Americans, the background of their governing communists, and as a country that sells electricity to their neighbors; but all of this is only in the background. The story is good, gripping, moving, with dramatic turns to move it from act to act. The native actors, and in particular the children, are all perfect. The children demonstrate joy in the midst of being dirty poor. This film truly soars.
Determined or stubborn...you decide!
planktonrules21 April 2014
"The Rocket" is a very strange film that was made in both Laos and Thailand by an Australian crew. It's an almost fairy tale-like story about a little boy, Ahlo, who is thought to be bad luck. His family is displaced from their village and then bad luck strikes several times. However, instead of feeling sorry for himself, this just makes him more determined throughout the film. Ultimately, there is a rocket contest in a village...and little Ahlo is determined to win even though he's just a kid and the rest of the entries are by adults.
This is a good film because it is so very different. Also, for a kid who looks like he's only about 8 or 9, Sitthiphon Disamoe was awfully good in the lead as Ahlo. Very interesting and a decent film for the family--even with its many references to urine, testicles and the like.
This is a good film because it is so very different. Also, for a kid who looks like he's only about 8 or 9, Sitthiphon Disamoe was awfully good in the lead as Ahlo. Very interesting and a decent film for the family--even with its many references to urine, testicles and the like.
Super flick
shreekara-199530 August 2014
"Its not ones birth star decides whether he is lucky or unlucky, its his inspiring deed that decide whether he is lucky to others or not'' well, luck is just an unpredictable phenomena, its not something that to be imposed on the basis of time or situation.
2013's Australian's Lao movie ''The Rocket'' neatly narrates the story of a boy by the name Ahlo who was fist believed to be the curse to their family later turn out to be an actual lucky champ to the entire village, this movie is about the tribal family who migrate in search for the permanent settlement but faces various problems due to Ahlo's mischief, the entire thing turns around when Ahlo shows an interest to participate in a traditional rocket competition to score a prize money for his family settlement, but entire family disapprove his intention of participating in the competition because of his bad luck, in such situation Ahlo's only hope was his friend 'Purple' who helps him in building a rocket for the competition, villagers believed that the rocket which goes high in the air explodes the cloud and brings rain, Ahlo's strong dedication and hope makes him the winner of that competition and at last his rocket brings rain to the village, thus Ahlo turn to be the lucky one.
The way the movie had been taken is so fantastic, entire making is fine and neat, those little artists are just mind blowing, this film has come very well with great realistic performance by the entire cast, irony, emotion are properly mixed and presented together, it's an awesome work with some little mega-mini talents.
2013's Australian's Lao movie ''The Rocket'' neatly narrates the story of a boy by the name Ahlo who was fist believed to be the curse to their family later turn out to be an actual lucky champ to the entire village, this movie is about the tribal family who migrate in search for the permanent settlement but faces various problems due to Ahlo's mischief, the entire thing turns around when Ahlo shows an interest to participate in a traditional rocket competition to score a prize money for his family settlement, but entire family disapprove his intention of participating in the competition because of his bad luck, in such situation Ahlo's only hope was his friend 'Purple' who helps him in building a rocket for the competition, villagers believed that the rocket which goes high in the air explodes the cloud and brings rain, Ahlo's strong dedication and hope makes him the winner of that competition and at last his rocket brings rain to the village, thus Ahlo turn to be the lucky one.
The way the movie had been taken is so fantastic, entire making is fine and neat, those little artists are just mind blowing, this film has come very well with great realistic performance by the entire cast, irony, emotion are properly mixed and presented together, it's an awesome work with some little mega-mini talents.
A sleeping tiger awakes
conannz25 July 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I saw The Rocket at a film festival just yesterday. I was impressed by the two young leads who convey as much from their faces as what is said.
An early sequence where the boy - Ahlo swims underwater in a large dam past sunken statues conveys much about the trade off between the hydro schemes and the forced relocation of villagers in the way. These dams flood hundreds of square kilometres and provide the context for this story in which Ahlo's family is forced to relocate.
These large dams including the Xayaburi Dam ( in progress) will affect the lives of more than 60m people in the region and looks to be an environmental disaster in the making. Wisely the story focuses on the 2 children but the politics in Laos deserve more scrutiny.
The other key part of this story is that Laos was the most bombed country in the world with more than 75m unexploded bombs ( out of 260m dropped) still buried or half buried there as a result of the Vietnam war. These bombs are referred to as "sleeping tigers" in the film and are a very real constraint on the health and safety of the local people.
A secondary theme in the film explores in part the Hmong minority. It is not clear in the film but it looks like Uncle Purple may have been part of that conflict. While we discover more about Uncle Purple in the film that story is only sketched out.
What makes this film great is the 2 young leads , Ahlo and Kia who despite all of the disruption around them manage to have wonderful moments in the markets and at the Rocket Festival.
I saw this at a film festival and the director said they had based the film in part upon a documentary called Bomb Harvest which he had made earlier. They also attended an actual rocket festival and recreated that for the film. They wanted to give insights from the Laotian point of view which they succeeded on despite this being an Australian film project.
The Rocket mixes real life in Laos today with hope for the future. I would see it again for sure.
An early sequence where the boy - Ahlo swims underwater in a large dam past sunken statues conveys much about the trade off between the hydro schemes and the forced relocation of villagers in the way. These dams flood hundreds of square kilometres and provide the context for this story in which Ahlo's family is forced to relocate.
These large dams including the Xayaburi Dam ( in progress) will affect the lives of more than 60m people in the region and looks to be an environmental disaster in the making. Wisely the story focuses on the 2 children but the politics in Laos deserve more scrutiny.
The other key part of this story is that Laos was the most bombed country in the world with more than 75m unexploded bombs ( out of 260m dropped) still buried or half buried there as a result of the Vietnam war. These bombs are referred to as "sleeping tigers" in the film and are a very real constraint on the health and safety of the local people.
A secondary theme in the film explores in part the Hmong minority. It is not clear in the film but it looks like Uncle Purple may have been part of that conflict. While we discover more about Uncle Purple in the film that story is only sketched out.
What makes this film great is the 2 young leads , Ahlo and Kia who despite all of the disruption around them manage to have wonderful moments in the markets and at the Rocket Festival.
I saw this at a film festival and the director said they had based the film in part upon a documentary called Bomb Harvest which he had made earlier. They also attended an actual rocket festival and recreated that for the film. They wanted to give insights from the Laotian point of view which they succeeded on despite this being an Australian film project.
The Rocket mixes real life in Laos today with hope for the future. I would see it again for sure.
A triumph
johndonny-107107 August 2022
One of the best films I've seen in ages. A timeless tale of determination and overcoming all that life can throw at you. I became so engaged in the story and the characters I forgot I was reading subtitles. It should be a reminder to Hollywood what character development and a well told story can do instead of the endless parade of superhero flicks with dark themes, poor acted tripe duct taped together with CGI and cringeworthy political correctness.
Well Done
jimmyjoe5839 June 2019
This film is very well done. Good plot, beautifully shot and excellent acting. This movie was a bit of a revelation and deserves a very wide audience. Easily beats 99% of the drivel Hollywood produces!
See this movie!
Incredible
dee-annvahlberg29 February 2020
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