Beyond Rangoon

Recycling the old cliches about Americans abroad with a (relatively) contemporary political spin, director John Boorman recounts the recent history of Myanmar (formerly Burma) through the eyes of traumatized tourist Patricia Bowman (Patricia Arquette). Shattered by the murders of her husband and child, Patricia tours the exotic East and finds herself stranded in Rangoon during a period of political unrest. Sure enough, her troubles fade into insignificance when compared with those of the Burmese under military rule, and she recovers her spirit through involvement with their cause. In typical Hollywood fashion, the natives are shown as long-suffering and infinitely ...