“When I first came to Cambodia I left with a feeling that stayed with me. There was a mood; an atmosphere that I can’t describe,” said Hollywood actor and director, Matt Dillon, of his first visit to the Kingdom in 1992.
“It was a transitional period when UNTAC was here. The country was coming out of such a dark period but I felt there was hope from the people for the future. It was probably the most memorable part of my time traveling around Southeast Asia.”
Dillon first landed in Cambodia in 1992 by chance. He was traveling around the region and had plans to visit Thailand, the Golden Triangle and Vietnam - but they were sharply scuppered, and he set off on a path that was to lead him to direct his first feature film.
“When I told my plans to a friend in Thailand, he said, “Drop everything and go to Angkor Wat now”. I spent a bit of time in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap and it really stayed with me long after I left; it had a real lasting impact.”
In fact, his experience in Cambodia left such an impression that it served as the inspiration for the first film the award-winning actor would direct, 2002’s ‘City of Ghosts’, which Dillon also co-wrote and starred in.
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The gritty 2002 crime thriller follows Jimmy (Matt Dillon), who flees the US after becoming embroiled in a failed insurance scam and ends up in Cambodia in pursuit of his business partner and mentor, Marvin.
“The film was filmed in 2001 but was really reflective of the period of Cambodia in the mid-90s. It’s a fictional film, it's a yarn, it’s also a crime drama,” the 59-year-old actor said, speaking to Kiripost at Penh House hotel in the capital.
“But what’s very important to me as a film-maker is authenticity, and much of the film has a basis in reality. I always try to draw from organic sources, whether they’re here in Cambodia, back home in the US or in Thailand. So, the film is fictional but there are elements of authenticity. It’s a certain version of Phnom Penh.”
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A Different Cambodia
In the more than two decades since Dillon landed in Cambodia to film ‘City of Ghosts’, the country has undergone dramatic transformations. The most evident are in the capital, where today shimmering high-rises pierce the skyline, luxury cars pound paved roads and the middle-class is swelling.
“It’s nice to see how things have changed for the better. Development is great and I like to see the development of the middle-class. There’s more prosperity and people are living better lives and creating better livelihoods and jobs,” Dillon said in his low, raspy New York drawl.
“But there’s a lot of development going on and Cambodia needs to be careful that it keeps its history. I really hope that in Phnom Penh, they maintain the rich history of the city. I feel very strongly about that.”
While many of the dilapidated colonial buildings in the Post Office area of the capital - where swathes of ‘City of Ghosts’ is filmed - have undergone a radical revamp to restore them to their former glory, many other historical buildings have been razed to pave the way for skyscrapers and other modern development.
“As happy as I am to see this growth, at the same time my only suggestion is to be cognizant of protecting what makes this a very distinctive, fascinating and beautiful city,” he said, adding that many of the buildings he remembers have now disappeared.
“This is also a problem for me in New York. You turn around and all of a sudden what made it a distinctive place has been lost and it’s become a glass city of high-rises. Hold onto the things that are important and can never be replicated again.”
Paying tribute to a legend
One of Dillon’s most treasured memories of shooting the film was meeting Kem Sereyvuth, who plays charismatic cyclo driver Sok Sereyvuth offered the distinguished actor a ride on his motodop and went onto snag a major role in the movie.
“Meeting him and him coming in and giving me a great performance was one of my best memories,” he said, breaking into a gentle smile. “Sadly, we lost my good friend, my protagonist and my lead actor.”
Sereyvuth died in October of hepatitis C at the age of 57.
“One of the reasons I came to Cambodia is I wanted to pay tribute to him. He became a dear friend of mine and gave me everything I needed for that character. I’ll always be grateful to him and will see his family while I’m here. All of his kids are now grown up.”
Charismatic Cambodian Cyclo Star in ‘City of Ghosts’ Dies
After Kiripost’s interview with Dillon at Penh House on Saturday afternoon, he attended a private evening screening of ‘City of Ghosts’ at Legends Cinema in Olympia Mall. This was also attended by Sereyvuth’s family.
Speaking to Kiripost at the screening, his daughter, Malin, said, “It is a sad moment for us but we are very proud to be here. We’ve watched the film many times but never before in the cinema in Cambodia, and alongside Matt Dillon.”
She also bagged a cameo role in the film, playing Sok's daughter.
Meeting Cambodia’s film-makers
In addition to the screening of ‘City of Ghosts’ and Q&A session, organized by Cambodia International Film Festival, Dillon is in the Kingdom to host workshops and masterclasses with film-makers, students and actors.
“It’s great to see how things have really grown and expanded. Cambodia had film-makers here before I got here, such as Rithy Panh, who is really shepherding the film industry,” he said, adding he met Panh the previous day on his arrival in the country.
“When we filmed here, the industry existed but we couldn’t put together an entire Cambodian film crew, although we made sure at least one Cambodian was in each department. That has changed. The young generation is developing new ideas and it’s terrific to see how film-making is strengthening.”
When asked what advice he would give to budding Cambodian film-makers, he said, “I try not to give advice but one thing I will say is, this is your culture, your country; embrace that. Don’t chase it away, don’t allow it to be hijacked. But at the same time, don’t deny your past; don’t deny your history.”
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