SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT

Directed by: Detlev Buck

A story about a HIV positive ex prostitute from Cambodia and naive fresh graduate student from Germany could be a very serious and murky film. But with a romantic title which is taken from an Asian-English phrase mainly used in South East Asia can make this film looks beautiful.

As always I am afraid that if a film from Europe/United States try to portray a third world country (as far as I know there is only one world) it would fall into a film which degrade or mock the way people live there, as some movies used to portray. But avoiding postcard scenery (and poverty exploitation) plus the usual stereotypes, Buck has managed to deliver a decent and intimate inter cultural love story between Benjamin Prüfer (David Kross, you know him from Krabat and The Reader) and Sreykeo (Apinya Sakuljaroensuk) as they met in a party in Cambodia without over exploiting.

What I find as amazing is I directly recognize the song played in the club, it's Rammstein's Amour which lyrics are great in my opinion. Try to Google the lyrics and find the translation (if you understand German the meaning is more wonderful) of the song.

As their love grows Benjamin learns that Sreykeo is in dire need of money. He naively sent her money for her living (which her mother used it for gambling) and then after he got a job in Germany he return to Cambodia to fight for Sreykeo to have her medication.

What Benjamin did is amazing, not only that he fight for her life, he also have to experience the ups and downs of his relationship with Sreykeo. Will he find his true love in Sreykeo?

Without over the top melodrama and over melancholy song, I can get the chemistry between Benjamin and Sreykeo and how love can cross boundaries and difficulties. But I do mind on Benjamin being too naive, is there a person as naive as Benjamin in real life? I know this film is based on a real story but the director can at least add an edge on Benjamin's personality instead of making Benjamin a naive and a plain lovable person. By making Benjamin too naive the director fail to reach some emotional height necessary for this film. However in the light of that weakness, this film is not a disappointment but something nice to ponder and enjoy at the same time.

David Kross is pulling his best here, he can switch talking German and English in an instant without hesitation and Apinya looks charming talking broken English and a bit German.