Lao-American Woman Confronts Violent Legacy of "Secret War" in New Film "Rhizome"

In 2025, a new feature film examining the buried trauma of America's "Secret War" in Laos is seeking co-producers and sales agents at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, with production slated for 2026. Titled "Rhizome," the film is directed by Jakrawal Nilthamrong, known for his acclaimed works "Vanishing Point" and "Anatomy of Time."

The film follows Na, a Lao-American woman who returns to her homeland in 1994 to join a bomb disposal team clearing unexploded ordnance from the Vietnam War era. As she falls in love with Bua, a local team leader, Na confronts the violent legacy that continues to shape the scarred landscape of Laos. The story opens in 1974 as civil war refugees flee toward the Thai border, and a young girl witnesses a traumatic incident involving her father and an American helicopter crash. Twenty years later, Na's mission collides with outsiders, forcing her to reckon with fragmented memories and her father's wartime past.

For Nilthamrong, the title "Rhizome" carries symbolic weight, representing the subterranean, interconnected, and hidden nature of trauma and survival in Laos. The film seeks to resonate with the urgency of forgotten histories, reminding audiences that Laos remains the most bombed country in the world, yet its people continue to live, rebuild, and find life growing again from the most wounded soil.