Blu-ray Review – Swimming to Cambodia

Spalding Gray wanted to be an actor. Jobs weren’t exactly plentiful, but he received an opportunity to be part of a prestige movie when he scored a small part in 1984’s “The Killing Fields,” a picture that detailed the grim experience of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 1970s. The feature would go on to become a minor hit at the box office and win several awards at the 1985 Oscars. However, to Gray, it was a job, and one that took him across the world to Thailand for filming, placing the New Yorker in the middle of an alien environment that carried heavenly qualities, especially for those interested in hedonistic pursuits. Using the experience to fuel a stage event, Gray turned his time on “The Killing Fields” into a monologue, using “Swimming to Cambodia” to dramatically share pieces of his life and the depths of his brain, sold in a furious, colorful manner by director Jonathan Demme as stories and reflections pour out of the monologist for 80 minutes. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com