Sleepwalking Through The Mekong

Sleepwalking Through The Mekong is a film that documents American band Dengue Fever's visit to Cambodia.

Dengue Fever originated when brothers Ethan and Zac Holtzman heard classic late '60 and early '70s Cambodian pop songs performed by two of the most popular Khmer psychedelic pop artists: writer/vocalist Sinn Sisamouth and chanteuse Ros Serey Sothear.

They started writing material inspired by these classic songs and eventually recruited highly respected Cambodian singer Chhom Nimol to join the group and release the highly acclaimed Escape From Dragon House in 2005.

Dengue Fever were invited to participate in Cambodia's Water Festival celebrations in Phnom Penh, and were the first foreign band to perform in the nation's Khmer language. This adventure is the basis for Sleepwalking.

The film begins with the band's appearance on Cambodian state television. We're introduced to a quite foreign and surreal music variety show that features dancing girls and a couple of vaudevillian performers, all hosted by a very MTV-inspired young woman. You're left feeling not too sure what to make of the program — much like the band, who are placed on stage as guests of honour.

Director John Pirozzi (Queens Of The Stone Age, Calexico) inter-cuts these TV scenes with band interviews where Dengue Fever explain their observations on both the Cambodian culture and their hosts' reception.

We see the band travelling the chaotic streets of Phnom Penh on mopeds and scooters as the film unfolds. Guitarist Zac Holtzman's foot-long beard is usually the amusing icebreaker between Cambodians and the band.

Dengue Fever sing classic Cambodian pop songs with the country's citizens both on and off stage on more than one occasion. They also jam with several Cambodian folk music masters, including some of the last people alive who can perform on several native instruments.

The film lightly discusses the history of the Khmer Rouge's attack on the nation's cultural industry, including the targeting of all members of the middle class as well as musicians and members of the intellectual community. Pirozzi mixes archival film of pre-Pol Pot Cambodia with modern day Phnom Penh to a soundtrack of a classic Sinn Sisamouth/Ros Serey Sothear performance.

Dengue Fever visit a state-sponsored music school, where children are taught the songs and instruments of their country in an attempt to keep the nation's culture alive for future generations.

The film ends with a large open-air concert featuring Dengue Fever with the Cambodian musicians and music students introduced earlier. We see the stage erected on the edge of a shantytown and the adventure the sound crew goes through to piece together antiquated sound equipment found throughout the capital city. Slowly, inevitably, curious Cambodians begin to gather throughout the day, and then the band's marquee performance begins as the suns goes down.

Sleepwalking Through The Mekong is a stunning visual documentation of vitality of the Cambodian culture and the resilience of its people, and the band's members' reflections are both humorous and enlightening. It all makes for a documentary that's both enjoyable and insightful for all, whether they're Dengue Fever fans or not.