''Same Same But Different'' is a 2009 German

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film directed by Detlev Buck. The script follows Benjamin Prüfer's 2006 autobiographical magazine article, later published as a novel in 2007. Starring David Kross and Apinya Sakuljaroensuk. The title of ''Same Same But Different'' is indeed an Asian-English phrase, mainly used in Thailand, although the film is set in

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

. The film first premiered at the 62nd

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

on 13 August 2009.

Plot

Benjamin (David Kross), a German high school student, is a backpacker on his first major tour. In a nightclub in

Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...

, he meets a young local girl, Sreykeo (played by Apinya Sakuljaroensuk), and rapidly falls in love with her. Ben opts for this love, even though Sreykeo turns out to be

HIV positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of th ...

and seems to be a

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

. It is based on the true story of Sreykeo Sorvan and Benjamin Prüfer.

Cast

* David Kross as Ben * Apinya Sakuljaroensuk as Sreykeo *Wanda Badwal as Lilli *Stefan Konarske as Ed *

Jens Harzer Jens Harzer (born 14 March 1972) is a German stage, film, and television actor. He began his career at the Munich Kammerspiele, and has been a member of the Thalia Theater (Hamburg), Thalia Theatre in Hamburg since 2009. He has appeared at the S ...

as Henry *Anne Müller as Claudia *

Michael Ostrowski Michael Ostrowski (born 3 January 1973) is an Austrian actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than forty films since 2002. References External links * * 1973 births Living people Austrian male film actors People from Leo ...

as Alex *Marie Jung as Regula *Lucile Charlemagne as Marie *Julia Primus as Vanessa *Constanze Becker as Sibylle * Olli Dittrich as Ben's father *Gilla Cremer as Ben's mother *Em Boun Nat as Sreykeo's father *Ok Sokha as Sreykeo's mother * Anatole Taubman as the hotel manager

Award

''Same Same But Different'' was shown at the 62nd Locarno International Film FestivalReleases Information
on www.imdb.de, dated 31 Aug 2009 on 13 August 2009; and entered in the festival competition, the "Variety Piazza Grande Award". This award is conferred by critics from the American entertainment magazine

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

to films that it considers have artistic qualities and international evaluation opportunities.

References

External links

* {{Detlev Buck 2009 films 2009 romantic drama films German romantic drama films 2000s German-language films Films directed by Detlev Buck Films set in Cambodia Films set in Hamburg Films about prostitution in Cambodia 2000s German films German-language romantic drama films