Beyond Rangoon

Infobox Film
name = Beyond Rangoon


imdb_id = 0112495
amg_id = 1:134731
writer = Alex Lasker
Bill Rubenstein
starring = Patricia Arquette
Frances McDormand
U Aung Ko
Johnny Cheah
Adelle Lutz
director = John Boorman
producer = Executive Producer:
Sean Ryerson
music = Richard Harvey Hans Zimmer
cinematography = John Seale
editing = Ron Davis
distributor = Columbia Pictures
released = August 25, 1995 (USA)
runtime = 100 min.
language = English

"Beyond Rangoon" is a 1995 drama film directed by John Boorman about Laura Bowman (played by Patricia Arquette), an American tourist who vacations in Burma (Myanmar) in 1988, the year in which the 8888 Uprising takes place. The film was mostly filmed in Malaysia, and is based on a true story.

Bowman joins, albeit initially unintentionally, political rallies with university students protesting for democracy, and travels with the student leader U Aung Ko throughout Burma. There, they see the brutality of the military dictators of the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC), and attempt to escape to Thailand.

Plot

Laura Bowman's son and husband were brutally murdered during a break-in. She is convinced by her sister to travel to Burma as a means of escape. There she discovers the brutal suppression of democracy under General Ne Win, and receives her first glimpse of Aung San Suu Kyi, the embodiment of hope for a peaceful future in Burma.

When she loses her passport during a rally she gets detained in Burma. While doing last minute sightseeing she becomes involved with a former professor and various pro-democracy students, monks, and others. This puts her on the military government's enemies list.

Much of the film involves evading soldiers while attempting to make their way out of the country, which they eventually do. Laura, who is a doctor, decides to remain in Thailand treating refugees fleeing oppression.

oundtrack

"Beyond Rangoon" is also an original soundtrack music album that features in the film of Beyond Rangoon. The majority of the soundtrack was composed by the German composer Hans Zimmer and the album was released in 1999.

External links

*imdb title|id=0112495|title=Beyond Rangoon
*amg movie|id=1:134731|title=Beyond Rangoon
*rotten-tomatoes|id=beyond_rangoon|title=Beyond Rangoon
*mojo title|id=beyondrangoon|title=Beyond Rangoon