Tenement
An immersive and nightmarish journey into madness! When a manga artist returns to Cambodia with her boyfriend in tow to learn more about her late mother, she takes up residence in an old family apartment complex, only to learn it contains deep, dark secrets.
Love getting scared out of your seat? Come to the May 17 screening for a chance to win virtual tickets to Cabin in the Woods Film Festival!
Tenement is a modern ghost story that punctuates supernatural evil with the reckoning of generational trauma. With echoes of classical horror films, this new genre feature is an exciting indicator of what contemporary Cambodian cinema has to offer. Soriya (Thanet Thorn) is a manga artist living in Japan. Upon her mother’s death, Soriya pitches a horror-themed manga to her editor which would allow her return to her ancestral home in Phnom Penh, Cambodia as inspiration for her new book while also serving as a chance to learn about her mother’s mysterious past. Accompanied by her boyfriend Daichi (Yoshihiko Hosoda), Soriya rents a room in the rundown Khmer Rouge-era housing complex which her mom fled from when Soriya was a child. Though Soriya is welcomed by family at the complex, not everything is as it seems. Cambodia’s political past and genocide resonate through the peeling walls and dark spaces where Soriya and Daichi find themselves. Co-writers and directors Sokyou Chea and Inrasothythep Neth build an ever-increasing atmosphere of foreboding as Soriya becomes immersed in her unsettling new environment and uncovers the truth of her past.
- Original Language Title: អ្នកស្នងអគារ (The Heir of the building)
- Director: Sokyou Chea, Inrasothythep Neth
- Principal Cast: Thanet Thorn, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Socheata Sveng, Mony Rous, Katsuya Maiguma
- Premiere Status: North American
- Country: Cambodia
- Year: 2024
- Running Time: 84 min.
- Producer: Loy Te
- Screenplay: Sokyou Chea, Inrasothythep Neth
- Cinematographers: Jeremiah Overman
- Editors: Loy Te
- Music: Jean-Charles Bastion
- Website: Official Film Website
- Filmography: Chea: Soul Searching (2018); Neth: Debut Feature Film
- Language: Khmer, English, Japanese
- Has Subtitles: Yes
- International Sales: Reel Suspects