Tag Archives: Leng Heng Prak

Cambodian sci-fi movie exploring Buddhism and nanotechnology

The movie is ‘Karmalink’. From its Internet Movie Datavase (IMDb) entry,

In this Buddhist sci-fi mystery set in near-future Phnom Penh, a young Cambodian detective untangles a link between her friend’s past-life dreams of a lost gold artifact and a neuroscientist’s determination to attain digital enlightenment.

Craig C Lewis’ June 10, 2022 article on buddhistdoor.net offers both illumination and puzzlement,

Cambodian Sci-Fi Movie Karmalink Explores Enlightenment, Reincarnation, and Nanotechnology

The Cambodian science fiction move Karmalink, which won awards on its film festival debut last year for its intriguing mix of high-tech mystery and Buddhist philosophy, has released a new trailer ahead of its North American release next month.

“In near-future Phnom Penh, a teenage boy teams up with a street-smart girl from his neighborhood to untangle the mystery of his past-life dreams,” a synopsis on the website of executive producer Valerie Steinberg explains. “What begins as a hunt for a Buddhist treasure soon leads to greater discoveries that will either end in digital enlightenment or a total loss of identity.” (Valerie Steinberg)

Directed and co-written by Jake Wachtel, Karmalink’s story is set in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, and sets out to explore the intersection of the Buddhist themes of karma, reincarnation, and enlightenment with the consciousness-altering implications of augmented reality and artificial intelligence, as well as the growing disparity between rich and poor.

The main plot follows a 13-year-old boy, Leng Heng (Leng Heng Prak), and his friend, Srey Leak (Srey Leak Chhith), who live in a crowded, dilapidated community on the outskirts of Phnom Penh of the near future.

Heng has been having a recurring dream about a golden Buddha statue owned by various people who he believes to be his past incarnations. Heng enlists the help of Leak to untangle the links between his dreams and the aspirations of a prominent neuroscientist to attain digital enlightenment via nanotechnology [emphasis mine] in order to find the truth and discover their own destiny.

Unfortunately, there are no more details as to how nanotechnology helps with attaining ‘digital enlightenment’. As to what digital enlightenment might be, that too is a mystery.

Matt Villei’s June 9 (?), 2022 article for collider.com provides more details about the movie and its trailer/preview,

The trailer is made up of the many rewards and snippets that the film received during its film festival run, which started in September 2021 at that year’s Venice’s International Film Critic’s Week. It was also announced a few days ago that it will be released theatrically in major US cities as well as Video On Demand in both the US and Canada on July 15, 2022. The film is spoken in Khmer with English subtitles and is a total of 102 minutes long. The film was created as a way to “interrogate processes of neo-colonialism, and highlighting the alienating effects of technological progress, Jake Wachtel’s Karmalink is a mind-bending tale of reincarnation, artificial consciousness, and the search for enlightenment.”

Sadly, the lead actor, Leng Heng Prak, has died since production of the film.

You may want to keep an eye out for Karmalink.