Rating: NR | Runtime: 88 minutes
Release Date: November 14th, 2024 (Cambodia) / October 24th, 2025 (USA)
Studio: Westec Media Limited / Dark Sky Films
Director(s): Inrasothythep Neth & Sokyou Chea
Writer(s): Sokyou Chea & Inrasothythep Neth

After this, we’ll be a real family forever.

A Cambodian artist living in Japan, Soriya (Thanet Thorn) is on the brink of having her debut manga published when her mother passes away. While going through some boxes, her boyfriend Daichi (Yoshihiko Hosoda) finds an old photograph dated 1984 with her mother and Aunt Mao (Sveng Socheata) in front of their old home. It doesn’t make sense, though, because Soriya’s mother always said the rest of their family died during the Khmer Rouge’s genocide in the 70s. So, they decide to go and see if her relatives are still alive.

The tenement building they find upon arrival is in rough shape and thus a perfect subject for both Daichi’s photography and Soriya’s foray into the horror genre. One could therefore say this is more work trip than reunion, but Aunt Mao, young Nimol (Ban Sahrahpech Manika), and the others don’t seem to mind. They’re simply happy to have her in their midst—so much so that they even volunteer to supply her meals for the duration of their stay. But then the nightmares start and the veil between dream and reality dissolves.

Writers/directors Inrasothythep Neth and Sokyou Chea’s debut feature Tenement does a wonderful job setting up their world as far as teasing a horror premise via a disturbing prologue (complete with nursery rhyme) and presenting their protagonists with an air of curiosity and trust. They’re blindly visiting strangers, after all. Strangers who live in a building that caused their taxi driver (Rous Mony’s Jam) to lose his smile upon hearing the destination. They want to believe they’re safe despite an atmosphere begging them to run.

Where things get a bit shaky is the third act. While aesthetically and formally captivating with flawless shifts between hopeful delusions and the hellish truth, this blurring might be wielded with too heavy a hand. It’s not that I found myself confused, though. Context clues and revelations right the ship whenever things get turbulent. But finding your footing within the present chaos doesn’t automatically add clarity to the whys or hows of what’s going on. So, don’t expect any answers here. This is purely about experience.

Does it feel as though I only got two-thirds of the story once the credits rolled? Definitely. But I did appreciate the narrative decision to ensure our mindset match the uncertainty Soriya contends with on-screen. We truly only know what she does. The helplessness. The fear. We also become paralyzed to the fact that there’s no escape, lost in an architectural loop manufactured by her mind to cope with the futility of already having her freedom stolen. The film’s ritualistic horror is supernatural, but its terror lies in her desperation.

This makes sense considering its notion of an evil (manifested by Vandalis Sav’s little Metta holding her stuffed animal tight) residing in their housing complex with the ability to kill at will. By not bothering with the spirit’s origin story, Tenement is able to concern itself solely with Soriya’s place inside a never-ending cycle of death and sacrifice. So, maybe her moments of aggression aren’t about desperation either. Maybe they’re distractions used to keep her a pliable vessel with which to be used for the good of the residents.

Any shortcomings of its story leaving a lot to interpretation is more than made up for by the acting, emotions, and artistry. There are some really gnarly visuals (a young girl’s face marred by maggots wriggling themselves out from under her skin, the terrifying concept of a “punishment room,” and the unflinching violence born from survival) and the use of extras to enhance the scope of involvement by neighbors can get intense. A claustrophobic sense of imprisonment takes hold as they won’t allow themselves to lose Soriya again.

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Thanet Thorn in TENEMENT; courtesy of Dark Sky Films.