A Portrait of Resilience: Rithy Panh’s “We Are the Fruits of the Forest”
Rithy Panh’s “We Are the Fruits of the Forest” offers a poignant and immersive portrait of the Bunong people, an indigenous community in the northeastern highlands of Cambodia. The film documents a community grappling with the pressures of modernization and economic exploitation,a stark contrast to their past practices of sustainable,ritualistic rice cultivation within the mountain forests. Traditionally, the Bunong cleared forest areas for rice paddies following ancestral ceremonies and offerings, maintaining a close relationship with the natural world.Though, by the 21st century, external demands have drastically altered their way of life, compelling them to accelerate deforestation and diversify into crops like cassava, rubber, and honey to meet market expectations.
The film primarily consists of contemporaneously shot footage focusing on the daily lives of residents in an unnamed Bunong village. While glimpses of modern life, such as children watching a film on a cellphone, appear, the majority of the scenes depict the arduous work required to sustain their increasingly precarious existence. This visual experience is powerfully augmented by an extensive voiceover, delivered by a single male speaker who articulates the anxieties and perspectives of the community.
The voiceover serves as crucial context, explaining Bunong customs, animist beliefs, and the complex classifications of forests they utilize. It also addresses the harsh realities of predatory bank loans, necessitated by declining crop yields, and the discriminatory treatment faced by the Bunong within wider Cambodian society. The speaker occasionally references his father, but primarily functions as an informed and proud representative of his people, expressing both a deep connection to their traditions and a palpable concern for their future.
While the monovocal narrative approach occasionally risks repetition, as the film consistently returns to the challenges facing the Bunong, Panh’s purposeful pacing and focus on the diverse faces within the village maintain a compelling interest. Though this marks panh’s first nonfiction film to avoid direct engagement with the legacy of the Khmer Rouge, the film powerfully illustrates how modern capitalism is eroding Bunong customs – including the adoption of Christianity by some – demonstrating that this new subject matter is no less urgent or impactful.
Panh further enriches the film through the inclusion of archival footage,juxtaposing past and present in a poetic manner. Recurring imagery, frequently enough displaying the same scene in both historical and contemporary frames, suggests a search for deeper understanding and connection to the past.A especially striking motif is the repeated, fleeting image of a topless Bunong woman, appearing as a flash within the present-day scenes. The meaning of this image – whether a portrayal of forest spirits or a foreboding omen – remains open to interpretation,but it powerfully encapsulates the vividness of the Bunong’s history and the fragility of their present way of life in the face of rapid change.
