English essay

Discuss the themes of vision, visibility, and images as they relate to memory and history in The Missing Picture. What visual stylistic devices does the film use to reveal the dynamics of looking, seeing, and knowing?

Visibility and vision play an integral role in enabling the narrator recall the events that occurred during Khemer Rouge communist regime. The atrocities committed by Khemer Rouge’s regime remain etched in his mind over the years. The narrator is in a position to recall the misdeeds of Khemer Rouge’s regime despite the fact that he was thirteen years old when Khemer Rouge assumed leadership of the country. Therefore, the visual elements incorporated in the movie will enable both present and future generations learn about both past and present experiences and their historical significance.

The narrator utilizes clay figurines and archival footage as he seeks to give viewers a first-hand account of the atrocities perpetrated by Khemer Rouge’s regime. The clay figurines and archival footage complement each other. However, the extensive use of clay figurines gives viewers a glimpse of the tribulations faced by the Cambodian population under Khemer Rouge’s regime. The archival footage used in the documentary brings about the element of reality by depicting the activities of Khemer Rouge regime. The archival footage reinforces the themes put forward by the clay figurines. In this respect, the utilization of archival footage enhances the credibility of the documentary.

The narrator’s ability to recall all the events that transpired during Khemer Rouge’s regime enables viewers create a mental picture of the events that transpired during that trying moment in Cambodia’s history. This vivid description is further enhanced by the use of the clay figurines so as to bring about the visual element of the narration. This production element in the documentary prompts viewers to become sympathetic to the plight of the suffering Cambodian population.

How does the film contradict the official memory of the Khmer Rouge regime (embodied in its use of archival footage)?

Archival footage is selectively used throughout the film. The footage gives viewers a glimpse of what comprised social life during Pol Pot’s regime. Archival footage was used alongside clay figures. Panh uses the clay figures to depict the suffering he and his fellow countrymen underwent. In this sense, the clay figures provide the “missing picture” since cinematic evidence about the revolution is absent. The absence of media coverage about the brutality of Pol Pot’s regime drives the narrator to rely on his recollection of the events that occurred.

The narrator exhibits his production prowess since he recreates events that transpired using clay figurines. The clay figurines are used to symbolically represent Cambodian citizens and regime sympathizers. However, his recollection fails to give the full account of the events that transpired prompting him to incorporate archival footage where appropriate in the film.

The contradiction is exhibited by the fact that archival footage fail to give a detailed description of all the events that transpired. In contrast, the clay figures extensively used in the documentary provide a clear representation of all the events that occurred from an average citizen standpoint. In this sense the clay figurines were used as visual stylistic devices. It cannot be disputed that the clay figures utilized in the film played an integral role in enabling the director tell his story as well as give a first-hand account of the atrocities faced by his countrymen.

In what ways is this film consistent with the artworks Boreth Ly discusses in “Devastated Vision”?

One can draw parallels between the film and Boreth Ly artworks. The consistency is exhibited in the utilization of visual elements when show casing the atrocities committed by Pol Pot’s communist regime in Cambodia. Both enable viewers to get a detailed account of the major events that occurred during the four years Pol Pot and his communist party were in power. Given that the artworks and film focus on the human rights violations perpetrated by Pol Pot’s regime, they serve as a wakeup call to the international community. They call out the international community for its complacency in failing to intervene on behalf of the Cambodian population at their time of need.

How does Rithy Panh portray the trauma of the Khmer Rouge regime?

Traumatic events were a common occurrence during Khmer Rouge regime. The civilian population was worst affected. The narrator is able to portray trauma by incorporating clay figures throughout the documentary. For instance, because of the devastating social conditions in Cambodia people had to walk for long distances in search of drinking water. Rithy Panh own mother walked for long distances in search of good drinking water for her children. Starvation was very common during Khmer Rouge’s regime. The regime deliberately starved the population. Families were forced to survive on small quantities of rationed foods.

Archival footage present in the documentary displays the forceful marching out of Cambodian citizens from the capital city into the country side. This initiative by Pol Pot traumatized families since it destabilized their social life and tore families apart. Some of them had their businesses and properties taken away from them. They were later confined to communal living in the rural parts of the country. This was in adherence to the “Year Zero” policy that was being pursued by the Khmer Rouge regime. The brutal crackdown on intellectuals and the country’s middle class is also captured in the documentary. Targeting of these people was meant to intimidate the rest of the population. Victimizing these segment of the population was unnecessary and uncalled for.

The graphic images of people dying from disease, starvation and exhaustion enhance the narrator’s portrayal of trauma. No one was spared, the elderly, middle aged and young experienced Khemer Rouge’s brutality. The most extreme form of brutality was perpetrated in the notorious S-21 prison facility. Additionally, archival footage contains scenes of extreme violence whereby soldiers and militants sporadically kill each other. In a nutshell, the film is characterized by a series of traumatic events that occur in quick succession.