The Rocket Film Difficulty Ranking: 2
If you always like supporting the underdog, you’ll enjoy following ‘Little Balls’ in The Rocket. As he was born a twin, his family think he’s cursed and destined to bring bad luck to the family. What they don’t see is that he’s the future of their traditional way of life. The more they blame him, the more distant their link to their heritage becomes.
From: Laos, Asia
Watch: Trailer, Free on Vudu, Rent on Amazon, Buy on Amazon
Next: Whale Rider, The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, The Eagle Huntress
Why Watch The Rocket?
- To meet a Laotian James Brown impersonator.
- Watch the battle between tradition and modernity taking place within Ahlo’s family.
- Experience the Laotian Rocket Festival with plenty of homemade fireworks.
- To break curses!
The Breakdown
The Rocket starts on a dark night in Northern Laos. The camera enters a dimly lit hut after we see a half naked person ominously running around with a goat’s head outside. Inside the hut, a woman is giving birth on all fours whilst her mother in law shouts at her to keep pushing. Out pops one baby, briefly ironically crowned ‘little balls’ by his gran because of his big balls. But their happiness is short lived because here comes the twin. This isn’t good news. In Laos, twins are cursed, and must be killed to prevent the curse spreading. After the second is born dead, gran urges her daughter in law to kill poor ‘little balls’.
Luckily for ‘little balls’ (Ahlo), his mum refuses to follow the customs, and the next scene shows him 8 years later, laughing with joy on a big rope swing. He’s obviously making the most of the life he almost wasn’t allowed to have.
The plot catalyst comes in the form of an agreement between the Laos and Australian government to build a new damn that will flood their village. As a result, they’re all being evicted to modern housing outside of the flood zone. However, tragedy hits on the journey to modernity as Ahlo’s boat slips down the hill and knock his mum’s head against a rock. It’s from this point that his gran stops calling him by his affectionate nickname and starts blaming him for everything bad that happens to them along the road. Can a Laotian James Brown and a rocket competition give him a chance at redemption?
Modernity vs. Tradition
The battle between preserving tradition and adapting to change/modernity is a well covered topic in world cinema. The Rocket is no exception.
Tradition is represented and upheld by Ahlo’s grandmother and her obedient son. She wanted to kill Ahlo after she found out he was a twin, and sticks to her guns by blaming him for all the trouble and tragedy they face. Ahlo’s father follows her lead without questioning if she’s right or wrong. She’s the matriarchal head of the family and the main connection to their heritage.
On the other hand, modernity starts as an idea which builds as we meet more characters along their journey. It starts with Ahlo’s mum breaking tradition by refusing to kill Ahlo because he is a twin. Later, it is represented in ‘Uncle Purple’, the Laotian James Brown impersonator. He has been traumatised by the war and now has no time for traditional ceremonies that remind him of something he’d rather forget. Rather than follow convention, ‘Uncle Purple’ chooses to follow James Brown, an icon of American modernity.
Ahlo becomes the measuring stick of whether the traditional or modern ways of life are prevailing, as he represents the future of the family. When his mum is alive, he’s well entrenched in the family and tradition so the traditional ways of life look like they have a future. However, after he loses his mum, his grandmother and father blame him for everything bad that happens to them. The more they blame him, the more they push him (and the future of their heritage) away. Because of them, he starts following another outcast that is influenced by American culture (modernity), ‘Uncle Purple’.
What to Watch Next
Firstly, check out Whale Rider. The narrative of the lead character is very similar. Instead of a cursed twin growing up trying to win the respect of his grandmother, you’ll meet a Maori girl trying to win the acceptance of her grandfather who wanted a grandson to pass on the Maori lineage to.
You could also check out The Boy who Harnessed the Wind, featuring an inventive kid whose father never believes in him. It also features a battle between traditional ways of life and the failures and promises of modernity.
If you like watching children taking part in adult-only competitions you can also check out The Eagle Huntress from Mongolia. Or if you were disappointed there weren’t more fireworks, check out Sky Ladder, a documentary on the world’s foremost firework artist, Cai Guo-qiang. His work is truly breath-taking.
Or if you’re looking for more films from South East Asia featuring children coming-of-age, check out:
- Golden Kingdom, featuring junior monks in Myanmar.
- Scent of Green Papaya, featuring a young house girl in Southern Vietnam.
- First they Killed My Father, following a young girl growing up under the brutality of the genocide committing Khmer Rouge.
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