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New film goes against the current narrative in Burma
Irrawaddy - December 27, 2011
For the moment, regime-led reform is the story that dominates the headlines. But for many years, Burma's political discourse has been gripped by a very different and far more compelling narrative: that of resistance to rule by fear.
Even today, as the world seems to anticipate sweeping changes based on signs of an apparent detente between Burma's self-appointed rulers and the democratic opposition, the spirit of resistance that has long animated Burmese politics remains close to the surface, waiting for a chance to reassert itself should recent progress falter.
Whether it's a movement to save the Irrawaddy River from a mega-dam, an ethnic army's return to open warfare with the Burmese military, a hunger strike by political prisoners, rare protests by farmers kicked off their land or the defiant words of an outspoken monk, Burma is still a country defined as much by the struggle against oppression as by oppression itself.
That's why "Into the Current," a new documentary by director Jeanne Hallacy and the Democratic Voice of Burma, serves as a timely reminder that historically, the real force for change in Burma has always been popular resistance, rather than the carefully managed "reform" process preferred by the country's generals.
While there has certainly been no shortage of efforts to capture the essence of Burma's struggle for freedom on film, including this year's big-budget Hollywood biopic of pro-democracy leader Aung San San Suu Kyi, "The Lady," "Into the Current" is relatively rare in that it combines sophisticated production values with a political message that is not watered down for Western audiences.
From its opening sequence – worshipers walking mindfully through Shwedagon Pagoda at dawn or sunset, while a narrator quickly dispels this image of serenity by speaking of the past 50 years of "greed, corruption and violence" under military rule – the film is at once lyrical and hard-hitting.
Unlike "Burma VJ," the Oscar-nominated documentary about the 2007 Buddhist monk-led Saffron Revolution, "Into the Current" doesn't attempt to reconstruct a particular event, but uses original and archival footage to paint a very broad picture of a nation that seems almost defiantly alive despite decades of crushing poverty and efforts to stifle dissent.
To do this, it moves freely from scene to scene – ethnic children playing in a refugee camp or fleeing a Burmese army offensive; military marches and massive signs declaring the "people's desire" to "crush all enemies" of the state; exiles protesting in front of Burmese embassies abroad or living along Burma's borders – while holding it all together with the voices of political prisoners, the "stars" of the movie.
Most of those who appear on camera are, of course, former political prisoners, including such prominent figures as Bo Kyi, the director of the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners; but it is a sad fact that many – most notably 88 Generation leader Min Ko Naing – were put back behind bars after an all-too-brief period in the public eye, and are still there despite continuing calls for their release.
At first glance, it is difficult to understand the fear that Burma's rulers evidently have of Min Ko Naing, a soft-spoken man who looks younger than his 40-plus years, despite spending nearly half a lifetime in prison for his leading role in the 1988 pro-democracy uprising.
In an early interview after his release in 2004, he speaks of his desire to meet his long-lost girlfriend, as well as his former political colleagues. We never find out if he meets the former, but we know that he joined forces again with the latter – and soon learn why he is such a formidable presence in Burmese politics.
Even more than Aung San Suu Kyi, the charismatic face of Burma's democratic aspirations to the world, Min Ko Naing embodies a quiet but forceful challenge to those who believe that lies, intimidation and outright violence are effective means of running a country.
Remembering "the blood that flowed, mixing with rain, in 1988," and speaking with his voice amplified by the silence of fellow mourners at the funeral of writer and former political prisoner Thayar Min Wai, he says: "People have come from all around the country to be with us, in the wind and the rain. So what should we be afraid of? We all want a civil society. If we stay united like we are now, then our dream is not far off."
Now in prison again for his role in the Saffron Revolution, it is difficult to know if he believes that the past year of quasi-civilian rule has brought Burma any closer to realizing the dream he shares with most of his compatriots.
Indeed, "Into the Current" is also silent on this, as it ends with Suu Kyi's release from seven years of house arrest shortly after last year's election. But it is perhaps just as well that it closes there, since the hints of change in 2011, as dramatic as they may seem to be, will need to go much further to convince the country's people that the half-century nightmare of military rule is truly over.
Until Min Ko Naing and others like him are released and permitted to participate fully in the political process, we won't know if this year's "reforms" have made resistance irrelevant, or merely forestalled its inevitable return in full force.
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