Review of Buoyancy (2020) by Brent_Marchant — 23 Sep 2020

With its heart decidedly in the right place, this socially conscious Australian offering shines an exceedingly bright light on the plight of Southeast Asian men and boys who are willfully deceived and ostensibly sold into slavery aboard Thai fishing boats, forced to work under deplorable conditions and sadistic sea captains.

In what essentially turns out to be a Western on the high seas, viewers witness the brutal coming of age of a 14-year-old Cambodian youth who is looking for a better life but unwittingly takes a difficult path to reach his goal.

In telling his story, the film features superb cinematography, an excellent score, capable performances and a sparklingly clear message, but its minimalist, sometimes-repetitive, often-predictable narrative and one-dimensional character development tend to undermine the other fine assets that the picture has going for it.

While it's indeed discomforting to criticize a release with such noble intents behind it, it's also nevertheless regrettable that the filmmakers chose a comparatively pedestrian approach to fulfill them and to tell a story that's long overdue in being told.