Sleepwalking Through the Mekong is one of the coolest named documentaries in recent years, filmed in 2005 it follows the California based band Dengue Fever's return to their singer Chnom Nimol's homeland - Cambodia.
If you are not familiar with Dengue Fever, they are one of the most awesome bands out there combining 60's Cambodian pop/Khmer Rock with surf rock and catchy lyrics, writing songs in both English and Khmer. Sleepwalking Through The Mekong is far from your usual rock n roll documentary, it shows the band members as pretty educated yet fun individuals and tells not just the story of the band but also some of the background of the rapid decline of Cambodia's fine artists and musicians at the hands of the Khmer Rouge.
There are interviews with people who remember the glory days of Cambodian pop and who grew up during the Pol Pot era, starving rather than singing. The band are worried at first how the Cambodian people will welcome them, foreigners bringing back the music of a golden generation of their own country may at first seem strange but by the smiley faces at the concerts - it's clear to see that they make many people happy.
Due to the fact that just about every musician and educated person in Cambodia was killed during the Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia nearly lost it's culture altogether, fortunately a handful of masters who still know how to play their weird and wonderful instruments are passing their skills on through a particularly good government and charity run music school. The band visit the school and jam with them with both groups of people learning from it.
This knowledge filled little documentary is not just very interesting but also contains lots of great songs and breathtaking views of Cambodia throughout. I highly recommend it.
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