Surviving Bokator (2018) User Reviews

A bittersweet but colourful story

[svcoulson · 10/10 · 3 June 2021]

Essentially the story of one man's struggle to resurrect a cultural art form after the ravages of Genocide and war, Surviving Bokator is a moving portrayal of a nation of youths leaning towards a hopeful future. Well shot and edited, the film follows a fledging school of martial artists and their Grand Master as they struggle to learn the martial art of Bokator and stay together as a team. Financial and personality challenges threaten the very existence of the sport and their camaraderie as friends.

It's moving, entertaining and true.

Impact Filming

[ernestgrey · 10/10 · 26 March 2022]

One of the best documentaries out there. This is impact filming!

Superior to many mainstream film productions.

Kudos to the director and film crew for their exceptional work.

This documentary is a testimony of how filming at its finest can help preserve a nation's tradition, honor unsung heroes and how it can give meaning and make a positive impact on lives of younger generations.

Great skill set, finesse and vision!

Bravo.

A must see, Excellent film!

[sovannarauk · 10/10 · 23 May 2023]

The film portrayed a commitment to resurrect the cultural heritage Martial Art after it was almost completely destroyed during the killing field (The Khmer Rough Regime). Kun Bokator or Kun Khmer is an ancient martial art originated in Cambodia and its spirit has been running deep in the vein of all Cambodia is now enlisted by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage for Humanity. The resurrection of this martial has been a challenge for the Grand master who nearly died several time during the dark time of the Killing field. Bravo to the director and the team for creating this amazing film for the world to see the real martial art of Cambodia and hope that soon the world will understand more about the amazing culture of Cambodia.

Outstanding in many aspects

[tbaumer-44880 · 10/10 · 3 July 2023]

Be it the storyline, the authenticity of the portrayed people or the whole make-up of the procuction: A must see. Even though there is a remarkable fascination for this martial arts sport - it is a well balanced story that does not generate unreal heroes, but it shows real people that sacrifice a lot for their dream - with all errors and difficulties. One can get a good insight on how difficult such a task is, respecting the disatrous history with all the communist terror, which is not that far away (ans frightingly alive in other countries). These guys show how much can be achieved by having close to no material support - would be impossible in the western hemisphere where we are used to close to insane figures when talking about sports and financial dimensions.

May the force be with these Cambiodians!