This is one of those movies that leaves you at a loss for words. Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll tells the story of Rock and Roll in Cambodia. It details how, in the 1960's and early 70's, rock music in the west and traditional Khmer music came together to form a unique sound which is found nowhere else. The music in the movie is absolutely fantastic, and is not only unique, but it actually sounds good, even if you don't understand a word of the lyrics. And to add to this, it interviews all sorts of people about music in Cambodia; surviving musicians, family and friends of artists, music fans, vinyl collectors, historians, even a prince. Then, it touches delicately on the history of the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam War, and while this touch is not detailed it tells the history in a way that will educate you without taking away from the main focus.
It is clear, though, that this movie was not an easy one to make. After talking to the director and producer himself, John Pirozzi, I discovered that this movie took a whopping nine years to complete, and was only finished several weeks before the world premiere.
But the main thing that this movie does is showcase something hard to find. Most Americans associate Cambodia only with the Vietnam War. There is no movie that can give you the information in this movie, in fact, there are few websites that could give you a mere fraction of the information in this movie. There is simply no place to go where you can learn about these artists and their lives, and there are only limited recordings of them on the web. And that, I feel, is the most compelling reason to watch this movie. There simply isn't any alternative.
It is clear, though, that this movie was not an easy one to make. After talking to the director and producer himself, John Pirozzi, I discovered that this movie took a whopping nine years to complete, and was only finished several weeks before the world premiere.
But the main thing that this movie does is showcase something hard to find. Most Americans associate Cambodia only with the Vietnam War. There is no movie that can give you the information in this movie, in fact, there are few websites that could give you a mere fraction of the information in this movie. There is simply no place to go where you can learn about these artists and their lives, and there are only limited recordings of them on the web. And that, I feel, is the most compelling reason to watch this movie. There simply isn't any alternative.
