Name: How War Ends
Genre: Short, Drama, War
Released: 2012-08-18
Duration: 12 min
Rating: 7.3
Cast: William Ngo, D.Y. Sao

This short feature is a powerfully emotional story set in 1998 about two brothers, survivors of the Khmer Rouge, who confront each other about their traumatic experience and its effect on them 18 years later. The film's message is relevant for today's world. The lighting, use of the mirror and camera blurring were effective methods of enhancing the emotional turmoil of each brother. The chemistry between the only two actors in this feature, William Ngo and D.Y. Sao, was excellent and I felt that they had endured years of shared pain, arguments, and suffering. Being familiar, in particular, with D.Y. Sao's work, this feature sees him in a new genre where he relies only on his acting skills, transitioning convincingly into new emotional depths, making him a contender in the dramatic acting field. The movie is very well presented and very moving.

The drama genre is a broad category that features stories portraying human experiences, emotions, conflicts, and relationships in a realistic and emotionally impactful way. Dramas delve into the complexities of human life, often exploring themes of love, loss, morality, societal issues, personal growth, with the aim to evoke an emotional response from the audience by presenting relatable and thought-provoking stories.

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The short form refers to creative works characterized by their brevity and concise storytelling. Unlike full-length feature films, short films have a running time of less than 45 minutes, while TV shorts have a running time of less than 22 minutes.

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The war genre features armed conflicts, both historical and fictional, and the experiences of individuals and groups involved in warfare. This genre explores the physical, emotional, and moral challenges faced by soldiers, civilians, and others affected by war.

Eighteen years after having left life under Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, two Cambodian brothers, older brother Rithy, strong enough to be able to now live with his painful memories, and his younger brother Bunthon who is unable to function in life because of the trauma he experienced, argue their very different ideas about how to deal with Bunthon's dark, empty life.

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William Ngo and D.Y. Sao in How War Ends (2012)

William Ngo, D.Y. Sao, and Scott Eriksson in How War Ends (2012)

Michael 'Pugita' Kobayashi, William Ngo, and Scott Eriksson in How War Ends (2012)

William Ngo, D.Y. Sao, and Rock Chang in How War Ends (2012)

D.Y. Sao, Scott Eriksson, and Eric Chenjie Pan in How War Ends (2012)

How War Ends

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