I am trying to fill up my Netflix queue with movies about and/or filmed in SE Asia; specifically Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand in anticipation of my trip this coming winter. From reading the boards and other advice, I so far have:
*Indochine
*The Bridge on the River Kwai
*Ong Bak: The Thai Warrior

I have already seen The Beach and of course Good Morning, Vietnam. Are there any others that people can recommend? Thanks!

<b>The Lover</b> with Tony Leung and Jane March. Hehhe...

The French woman in Hanoi I understand, but why is it with a Chinaman and not a Vietnamese man?

Do we really care?

Anyways, in pre-war Vietnam, there was a huge Chinese population, with some families having lived there for generations. And they do control a lot of the trade/commerce. Maybe that's why or maybe not.

Anyways, here's another pretty nice one: <b>The Scent of Green Papaya</b>

Don't really care, just wondered. I didn't know that tidbit about the Chinese, so thanks! Both of them are in my list, and now some &quot;recommended&quot; ones are &quot;The Vertical Ray of the Sun&quot; and &quot;Cyclo&quot;. Has anybody seen either of these?

How about &quot;Empire of the Sun&quot; and also &quot;The last Emperor?&quot; Just saw Beautiful Boxer. Wish they would make a movie of the Samaraii`s Garden. I`m filling up my Netflix queue too! In the Lover, they explain that the Chinese immigrated down from southern China and that they were the ones who got rich due to shrewed land deals.

I added &quot;The Empire of the Sun&quot; even though it looks more like a Chinese/Japanese tale. I love Christian Bale and John Malkovich is an excellent actor. I also forgot to mention that I've seen &quot;Anna and the King&quot;. I thought that was an excellent movie about Siam's history, legends (the white elephant), and culture.

The Killing Fields, The Quiet American and just out on video A Beautiful Country.

S21 The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine

<b>Daughter from Danang</b> -- this is one of the most spellbinding films I've seen. It's a documentary, originally shown as part of PBS's Frontline series but made by an independent filmmaker.

The movie is about the daughter of an American serviceman and a Vietnamese woman. The daughter was evacuated out of Vietnam when she was 6 or 7 (just before the end of the war), was adopted by an American woman in Tennessee, and is now going back to Vietnam to see her biological mother for the first time in about 20 years.

The filmmaker had amazing access to the event, and the results are amazing. I won't say more so as to not spoil the movie, but you will get some insoights to Vietnamese culture and daily life.

Thai movies:

Legend of Suriyothai (historical epic)
Tropical Malady (beautiful and strange)
Bang Rajan (violent tale of Burmese-Thai war)

All these recommended movies are great.

I would recommend City of Ghosts starring and directed by Matt Dillon and was filmed in BKK and Cambodia. The scenes of Cambodia are fantastic. It's a gritty film.

I love soundtracks and this one is no exception. You gotta check out the Cambodian remake of Both Sides Now in the ending credits.