Add your email and we'll match picks to the services you stream at home.

Poster for The Betrayal – Nerakhoon

The Betrayal – Nerakhoon

Seen it?

2008 | 96 min | Documentary

Sunday Safe Betearly rating

Why it’s a Sunday Safe Bet

Critics loved it (94% on Rotten Tomatoes), though it had almost no lasting buzz and soft box office. A safe bet when you want something reliable.

Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.

Is it for you?

Who'll love it
Aimed squarely at anyone who likes learning something new. Expect to bring it up in conversation afterwards.
The mood
Eye-opening.
The pace
Moves through the story clearly, at 1 hr 36 min.
What might put you off
Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.

Co-directed by acclaimed cinematographer Ellen Kuras and subject Thavisouk Phrasavath, this haunting documentary chronicles a refugee family’s epic journey from Laos in the aftermath of the secret war waged by the United States there to New York, where they find themselves fighting a different kind of war on the streets of Brooklyn. Filmed over the course of 23 years, THE BETRAYAL is a visually and emotionally stunning look at the complex ways in which the political shapes the personal.

How it earned its rating

  • CriticsVery strong

    94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 78 on Metacritic

  • AudiencesNot counted

    Not measured yet: not enough ratings

  • AwardsNot counted

    No major awards or nominations

  • Reach & staying powerBelow par

    Streaming release that reached a small audience so far; still draws a steady audience long after release

  • Buzz & cultural impactWeak

    About 3K people sought it out in the past year

More like this

Want more like this, picked just for you? Get my picks

Cast & crew

Directed by Ellen Kuras

  • Thavisouk PhrasavathSelf