User Reviews

In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, the American student of Arts Thomas McIntyre (McGeorge Robinson) lives with the former prostitute Teeda (Linda Shing) and her daughter Ani and survives painting pictures and doing small jobs. When his former college friend Cliff (Rob Stockton) comes to Phnom Penh, he offers US$ 5,000.00 to Thomas to make a tour and show the red light district and the prostitutes of the city. Cliff comes with his wife and former girlfriend and passion of Thomas, Crystal (Constance Frenzen), creating a tension among the trio. But Thomas needs the money to help his expatriated friend Marty (Steve Boss), who owes a large amount to some criminals, and accepts to disclose Phnom Penh for one week to the couple.

"Monsoon Wife" is a very unpleasant and badly resolved story and a magnificent sightseeing in Cambodia. First, Cliff and Marty are despicable characters, exploring the existent children prostitution in this poor country. Second, the reason why Crystal accepts to marry a nasty guy like Cliff and travel to Cambodia with him, and why Cliff brings Crystal if his intention was to explore the dark side of Phnom Penh? Third, how could Thomas, Teeda and Ani stay alive after killing a dangerous gangster and letting his partner alive? The story should be limited to the dramatic situation of the exploration of children by the sex industry, without the unnecessary abduction of Ani and the consequences. The camera work is completely amateurish, but the cast has good performances. The Brazilian title ("Obsession") has nothing to do with the story. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Obsessão" ("Obsession")

You know why this film is the only one shot entirely in Cambodia? Because they didn't have money for anything else. Seriously, this movie looks like two guys took their video camera on holiday and decided that between drinking, eating and sleeping they make a movie. To be really honest, I was talking to friends while the movie was on so we would occasionally take a look, basically to comment on the pathetic state of the movie. Acctualy the Cambodian girls where not that bad but the American actors... Like I said, I'm almost sure it was to guys on holiday figuring "hey we got this camera, lets make a movie!" Its one of those movies that really stupefies me - how and who pays for that crap. And why?? I tell you there are some dumb producers out there.

Director Marlin Darrah's first dramatic feature examines the world of Cambodia's sex trade through the eyes of American expatriates, foreign tourists and the Cambodian people. The film was produced on a shoestring budget on location in Cambodia, but has a rich quality that suggests a bigger budget. The story begins in the capital of Phnom Penh and focuses on two couples: an American expat and his Cambodian girlfriend, and a visiting American couple who share a history with the expat. The film takes us on a journey through the decaying colonial grandeur of the capital, with its riverside hotels and neon brothels, and into the countryside for a climatic scene at the Buddhist ruin Angkor Wat. Several of the actors turn in memorable performances as expectations are revealed and behaviors alter away from home. It's a modern look at "The World of Susie Wong," where every thing seems to be for sale, including your soul.

Monsoon Wife is a good little film shot entirely on location in and around Phnom Penh Cambodia. With a tawdry backdrop involving child prostitution and those who benefit from this activity, an old fashioned love triangle develops among three Americans, one of which is an ex-patriot romantically involved with his "live-in" Cambodian girlfriend. The film's back story shows how the ex-patriot once assisted in the recruitment of young girls to work in one of the local disreputable "Kareoke" bars, but later he cleans up his act.

What I enjoyed about the story is an ironic twist, where the ex-patriot's past begins to catch up with him as the local neighborhood Cambodian mafia begins recruiting his own girlfriend's daughter as a child prostitute.

This hybrid movie is composed primarily of fictional feature film elements mixed with documentary elements. I liked that style. One character, Cliff, a college nemesis of Thomas who comes to seek out the sex industry, brings a video handicam, which he turns on his subjects and himself. The black and white footage the character shoots is shown in the film, including street footage taken from the back of a small motorcycle and footage of his dark escapades in the back rooms of the brothels.

Seeing the movie, I felt very repelled by the child prostitution issue. There are a couple of very challenging, very true-to-life scenes viewers must get through. They're tough to watch but are important to include. I really appreciated this movie. There are some beautiful scenes of Angkor Wat that help to soften the hard and realistic social issues this movie delves into. And the goodness of the ordinary people of Cambodia and its Buddhist cultural roots shine through in Monsoon Wife, particularly through the character of Teeda, the heart of the film. One important scene occurs when Thomas returns home feeling degraded after taking Cliff to brothels. He comes into his apartment to find both Teeda and Crystal asleep under mosquito netting. Thomas may still be uncertain about what he wants and who he wants to be with, but this image forces him to come to terms with his desires and grow up. I've traveled throughout SE Asia, and this is a good movie to give people a very good idea of the beauty and the tragedy of this region.

I've seen this film more than once and was surprised to find how much it grew on me on second viewing. Not only does the film successfully negotiate the troubling landscape of child prostitution in SE Asia, it also reveals the equally disturbing world of those who frequent the Karaoke and sex bars of the region.

While the scope of the film is narrow, it takes a gritty, gut-check approach to addressing the far-from-palatable global issue of child prostitution with an unflinching eye. And while the film's gritty approach (a scene of a girl auditioning for what turns out to be a sex worker position, among others) won't necessarily appeal to those with a weak constitution, this is perhaps the film's greatest strength - the courage and willingness to show something as it is, rather than what we want it to be.

Highly recommended, especially if you want to learn more about developing nation issues currently being faced in contemporary Cambodia.

I have actually spent a summer with Marlin Darrah while studying abroad with Semester at Sea, his company makes the videos of all the voyages. He showed this movie one night on the ship and told us about how it was filmed, and what he saw that wasn't on film. The sex slave industry is enormous there. The people in the movie other than the main actors, were playing themselves for the most part. The brothels are real as well as the carnival. Monsoon Wife is an intense portrayal of what is happening every day in Cambodia, where the families of 12 year old girls can't afford enough food and must sell their daughters as sex slaves. They usually are contracted for 5 years and then return home, only when they return home no one wants them because they are no longer pure. Its a tragic story about a family and their friends caught up in the underworld in a corrupted society and government. Very well done!

I was quite taken by the images of this movie. I have never seen this side of Cambodia before but I thought several times while watching the movie – is this real? How did they shoot this so it looked so real? Although I didn't think one of the actors was of the same caliber of the others, the movie really grabbed me in a way that few movies have done. And it appears the filmmakers did so without all the sickening sweet icing of Lara Croft and other Hollywood movies that were either partially shot in SE Asia or else crafted to emulate Cambodia in some way.

Nice work!