''Same Same But Different'' is a 2009 German drama 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. The film first premiered at the 62nd Locarno International Film Festival 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

* 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 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 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 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