In "Lost World," by Cambodian filmmaker Kalyanee Mam, Mam sheds light on the delicate balance between cultural preservation and the forces of modernization. How can we reconcile the desire for economic development while ensuring the preservation of indigenous cultures and their ancestral lands?
In the film, Mam shares how a woman (Phalla Vy) and her community struggle to maintain their way of life in the mangrove forests as large excavators dredge sand in the ocean and export it to Singapore. In Singapore, Mam reveals how the sand is displaced from its original forests and, thus, loses its value in terms of cultural significance. Mam's beautiful portrayal of Phalla and her connection to the land made me realize how profound a human's connection to nature can be. During the discussion, Mam stressed the importance of listening to the truth that nature and people share instead of the stories we want to hear. Mam's idea deeply resonated with me because I realize that in media, audiences are often given the stories we want to read or hear about rather than the purest truth, no matter how bare it may be. At the core of Phalla's values, the sand is not just an object but a way of life; the Mangroves and Mangrove community require the sand to survive.
I was deeply touched when the film showed Phalla interacting with nature in Singapore as if she had been reunited with a loved one. You could clearly see the importance of nature to Phalla. While other tourists were simply taking photos of the scenery and passing by, Phalla was smelling the aroma of the flowers and softly touching the leaves. This shows that objects have different representations of different people with varying perspectives. Mam furthered this idea when she shared her story about sapphires and rubies. Mam revealed that in her culture, sapphires and rubies were not symbols of wealth but protection. While modernization has taught society to value material wealth, Phalla and Mam's Cambodian culture reminds us that some things are more important than superficial appearance and material wealth.
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