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

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, a love story starring

David Kross David Kross (born 4 July 1990) is a German actor. He began his career at a young age with a small role in the 2002 film ''Hilfe, ich bin ein Junge'' and worked sporadically, mainly focusing on his school work. In 2008, he won the starring role o ...

and

Apinya Sakuljaroensuk Apinya Sakuljaroensuk ( th, อภิญญา สกุลเจริญสุข) is a Thai actress born on 27 May 1990. Apinya, also known as Saipan is one of the top Thai teen stars – she is an actress, product endorser, TV host and CM pre ...

. It was directed by

Detlev Buck Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and work From his first short film at the age of 21 in 1982, ', he has remained one of the most important filmmakers working ...

. The script follows Benjamin Prüfer's 2006 autobiographical magazine article, later published as a novel in 2007. 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 (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. The film first premiered at the 62nd

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

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 (; km, ភ្នំពេញ, ) is the capital and most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since the French protectorate of Cambodia and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its economic, indus ...

, 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 acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immu ...

and seems to be a

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of 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-penet ...

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

Cast

as Ben *

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 Theatre in Hamburg since 2009. He has appeared at the Salzburg Festival regularl ...

as Henry *Anne Müller as Claudia *

Michael Ostrowski Michael Ostrowski (born 3 January 1973) is an Austrian actor, screenwriter, and presenter. He has appeared in more than forty films since 2002. Selected filmography References External links * 1973 births Living people Austrian m ...

as Alex *Marie Jung as Regula *Lucile Charlemagne as Marie *Julia Primus as Vanessa *Constanze Becker as Sibylle *

Olli Dittrich Oliver Michael Dittrich (born 20 November 1956) is a German television personality, comedian, actor, and musician. Life Dittrich completed a three year-education as a theatre painter in the Hamburg State Opera (1975–1978). At the same time, ...

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 Anatole Taubman (born 23 December 1970) is a Swiss actor. He is best known for his performance as Elvis in ''Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' se ...

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

* {{IMDb title, 1368443 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