It was dark, cold and I’d just been slapped with a train fine for getting on the train before getting my ticket. I was ill, angry and the prospect of sitting in a small dark room with a bunch of strangers wasn’t an exciting prospect. So when the lights went down I wasn’t exactly in a great mood, then, everything changed. I spent the next 96 minutes enthralled; I laughed, I cried and I completely forgot about my silly little problems. I left that small dark room with a smile on my face, having viewed a world like nothing I’d ever seen.

The Rocket takes place in the war-ravaged country of Laos and follows the story of Ahlo, a 10-year-old boy fighting against traditions that have labelled him as ‘cursed’ from birth. Ahlo and his family are forced to move due to the electrical companies plans to build a new dam and flood their village in the process. In light of this the family sets out to find a new home but tragedy strikes when Ahlo’s mother is killed in an accident and Ahlo’s curse is blamed. The family soldier on with the dream of finding some land to grow his mother’s mango trees. Along the way meet another young orphan, Kia, and her eccentric ex-soldier uncle, Purple; So named because of the purple suit he never takes off and his obsession with James Brown. The band of misfits move across the country and any bad thing that happens is blamed on the young boy, forcing him to grow ever more determined to disprove the curse. His chance comes when the family stumbles onto a rocket making competition, with the prize being land and money beyond their dreams. Ahlo builds a huge rocket to send into the sky hoping to win the biggest and most dangerous competition of the year, and maybe the forgiveness of his family.

This is far more than just a movie; it’s a glimpse into a world we’ve never seen before. The landscapes are fantastic, from fields of unexploded bombs, mountains rich with colour and haunted caves. The cast is flawless, with lead actor and former street kid Sitthiphon Disamoe giving a truly spellbinding performance. There’s actually not anything bad I can say about this film. The score is expertly put together and with a bit of James Brown in there you can’t really go wrong. So, if you want an emotional little ride through an unknown land, then this film is definitely worth the price of admission and you can catch it on limited release from March 14^th.

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