How well do we ever know our parents? This thought occurred to me when I spent time with my mother and her friends over the weekend. I was with them in a social setting on their turf, and it was almost like seeing Mom as a person – not just a mother – for the first time. I chatted with many of her friends and felt as if I'd finally arrived as an actual adult. I was privy to candid stories, confessions and insecurities. From the corner of the room, I observed complicated dynamics among friends, husbands, wives, others. These could be my own friends, I thought.
That may seem naive, but I do keep my parents on the "parent" shelf. They play a part in that, I suppose, carefully controlling the image their children have of them. It must be human nature, particularly for their generation.
I can think of friends whose parents dropped bombshells about their personal lives once they thought their kids were old enough to handle it.
Socheata Poeuv tells such a story in her excellent new film, "New Year Baby." She had a typical American childhood and knew very little of her family's history. She knew she was born in a Thai refugee camp and that her family called her "the lucky one." On Christmas Day in 2002, Socheata's mother pulled the family aside to tell them the truth: Socheata's sisters are really her cousins, and her brother had a different father – her mother's first husband.
From there, Socheata begins to unravel her family's history under the Khmer Rouge. She learns certain facts from her parents but eventually takes them back to Cambodia to pull out the rest of the painful story.
The power of the film is not in these facts. It's more in Socheata's storytelling, the intimacy and casualness she creates with the camera. Her parents are both wonderful characters, too. They are at times coy, witty and vulnerable. It's the subtlety of Socheata's film that makes it so powerful. She also uses gorgeous, imaginative animation to tell the story of life under the Khmer Rouge.
If you can't make it to tomorrow's screening (it's almost at capacity), you can tune in tonight at 10 on "Independent Lens" (see tune-in info under picture above on the left).
On a personal note, this is my last week as a full-time employee at Rocky Mountain PBS. In mid-June, I'm moving to New Orleans with my partner, who is starting his medical residency at LSU this summer. I'm excited to be returning to freelance writing and hoping to produce a documentary with a friend back in the southeast. While we're sad to be leaving Colorado's blue skies and glorious mountains, we're thrilled to be part of New Orleans' rebirth. It's a fantastic, vibrant city and it seems to be improving every day.
I have loved my two and a half years at Rocky Mountain PBS, and I hope to continue working with my friends here as often as possible from afar. Thank you, readers and viewers, for sharing your opinions and thoughts on this blog and for supporting what we do here at Rocky Mountain PBS. I've never been part of an organization that made me more proud. I hope you'll keep supporting Rocky Mountain PBS with your membership, your volunteer service and your ideas. Whether you realize it or not, your involvement with Rocky Mountain PBS is a huge contribution to the well being of our state. When I see comments on this blog or talk with people at community events, I am grateful to be part of such a good conversation.
Thanks and take care,
Allison, Rocky Mountain PBS
