BEYOND RANGOON
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1995 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.8
United States, 1995 U.S. Availability: 8/25/95 (wide) Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: R (Violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Cast: Patricia Arquette, U Aung Ko, Frances McDormand, Spalding Gray Director: John Boorman Producer: Barry Spikings, Eric Pleskow, and John Boorman Screenplay: Alex Lasker and Bill Rubenstein Cinematography: John Seale Music: Hans Zimmer U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
In the late 1980s, when pro-democracy movements were springing up all around the world, China was not the only nation to brutally squash dissension. Far from the glare of the television camera, similar events were transpiring in Burma. Peaceful demonstrations turned into bloodbaths, prisoners were shot en masse, and over 700,000 men, women, and children fled across the borders. However, as the narrator of BEYOND RANGOON notes, because of the lack of press coverage, for most of the world, it was as if it didn't happen.
One of the most difficult tasks a film maker faces when bringing to life a story with a particular political or social point-of-view is involving -- not isolating -- the viewer. It's far too easy for a "cause" motion picture to become dry and uninteresting. With BEYOND RANGOON, director John Boorman (DELIVERANCE, THE EMERALD FOREST) has taken the situation in Burma and reduced it to a personal level. He has placed a lone American woman in the eye of the storm and, while the audience watches, she is swept along by the violent currents of August 1988.
That woman is Laura Bowman (Patricia Arquette), a young American doctor visiting the Far East in hopes of finding escape from the recent tragedy which has ripped apart her life. One day in the not-too-distant past, she returned home from work to find her house ransacked and her husband and young son brutally murdered. Since then, she has shut herself off to all emotion, turning, in her words, to stone.
One night while her tour group is staying in a Rangoon hotel, Laura wanders into the streets and becomes caught up in a pro-democracy rally led by charismatic activist Aung Sein Suu Kyi (who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991). While there is tension between government forces and the student demonstrators, no open confrontation takes place, and Laura returns to her room unmolested. The next day, however, she discovers that she lost her passport the previous night and, since the Burmese government will not let anyone leave the country without one, she is unable to depart as scheduled with her sister and the rest of her tour group.
After eventually acquiring a new passport from the U.S. Embassy, Laura decides to spend some time exploring. She soon locates an "unofficial" tour guide (U Aung Ko), and enlists his aid in bribing her way through checkpoints to meet people and go to places that no outsider normally sees. However, the tour guide turns out to be a pro-democracy activist and, when the Burmese government declares martial law, Laura becomes caught up in a struggle she previously had no idea existed.
Besides being an intelligent and gripping thriller with a solid grounding in real, recent historical events, BEYOND RANGOON also gives movie-goers a rare opportunity to watch a female hero. These days, the strongest roles for women are the ever-present femme fatales (like Linda Fiorentino in THE LAST SEDUCTION) that populate film noir. It's unusual to find a solid, well-rounded character the likes of Laura Bowman, and, while Patricia Arquette has a few awkward moments, she mostly does a credible job with a part that requires emotional and physical range.
The cinematography by John Seale is spectacular. It's easily among the best jobs of the year, and far more impressive than the usual approach of "take the camera and do a few widescreen shots of the countryside." Seale plays with light and color, and uses Burma's natural beauty to highlight the characters. BEYOND RANGOON is a visual masterpiece, yet rarely does the photography take away from the storyline.
Boorman has succeeded in an arena where Oliver Stone so often fails. By toning down the melodrama and manipulation, BEYOND RANGOON calls attention to a situation without becoming overly didactic. Rarely does this film lose its edge -- the characters are well-defined and the pacing is tight. And the message comes across -- few who sit through this picture will react quite the same way when a story about Burma airs on the nightly news.
- James Berardinelli (jberardinell@delphi.com)
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