After barely escaping the clutches of a man-eating witch, twelve beautiful sisters arrive at the court of the king, who promptly marries all twelve of them. But their monstrous adversary takes the form of an attractive woman, bewitches the king and persuades him that the sisters are witches. Their eyes are put out and they are banished to a cave, where they only survive by eating their own offspring. Only Puthisen remains unharmed and turns out to be a most shrewd child, quite capable of looking after his blind mother and eleven aunts. Having grown up into a handsome young man, he wins the king’s trust and eludes his wicked stepmother’s ploys, whose pretty daughter Kongrey is now to become his wife. Tragically however, rescuing the twelve sisters will not be without casualties. Cruel fairy tale, bucolic folklore, naive fantasy, court conspiracies and shocking splatter – PUTHISEN NEANG KONGREY gleefully mixes genres and narrative forms. While the fantastic locations, lavish decor and magnificent use of colour already make the film an unforgettable spectacle, Ly Bun Yim also proves his technical mastery with some astounding special effects that remains a genuine treat even today. (Christoph Terhechte)
Production: Runteas Pich
Screenplay, Camera: Ly Bun Yim
Cast: Kong Sam Oeun, Vireak Dara, Ly Ratanak, Nop Nem, Saksi Sbong, Yeak Nhorm, Kim Nova
Format: 35 mm, colour
Running time: 100 min
Language: Thai
Puthisen Neang Kongrey
12 Sisters
Ly Bun Yim
Kambodscha 1968
