Buoyancy (film)
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Samantha Jennings
Rita Walsh
| Buoyancy | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Rodd Rathjen |
| Written by | Rodd Rathjen |
| Produced by | Kristina Ceyton Samantha Jennings Rita Walsh |
| Starring | Sarm Heng |
| Cinematography | Michael Latham |
| Edited by | Graeme Pereira |
| Music by | Lawrence English |
Production company | Causeway Films |
| Distributed by | Umbrella Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Australia |
| Languages | Khmer Thai Isan |
Buoyancy is a 2019 Australian drama film directed by Rodd Rathjen. It was selected as the Australian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 92nd Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[1]
Inspired by actual events, a 14-year-old Cambodian boy becomes a victim of human trafficking when he is enslaved on a Thai fishing trawler.
Cast
- Sarm Heng as Chakra
- Thanawut Kasro as Rom Ran (first trafficker)
- Mony Ros as Kea
- Saicheer Wongwirot as Kadir (second trafficker)
Release
The film's premiere took place at the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival.[2]
Critic Paul O'Callaghan assessed the film as a "terse minimalist thriller" about slavery in southeast Asia.[3] Screen Daily's Sarah Ward credited Heng with "a captivating lead" with "a rawness to his performance".[4]
Reception
Critical response
Buoyancy has an approval rating of 97% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 35 reviews, and an average rating of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Grueling but powerful, Buoyancy finds grim urgency in its portrayal of a young man's horrific captivity and fight for human dignity".[5] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 77 out of 100, based on 8 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[6]
Awards and nominations
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin International Film Festival | 17 February 2019 | Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Panorama | Buoyancy | Won | [7] |
| Amnesty International Film Prize | Nominated | ||||
| Best First Feature | Nominated | ||||
| Panorama Audience Award | Third place | ||||
| Melbourne International Film Festival | 18 August 2019 | People's Choice Award for Best Feature | Fifth place | [8] | |
| Asia Pacific Screen Awards | 21 November 2019 | Best Youth Feature Film | Won | [9] | |
| AACTA Awards | 4 December 2019 | Best Indie Film | Won | [10][11] |