A Thousand Fires, the latest documentary from Palestinian-British filmmaker Saeed Taji Farouky (Tell Spring Not to Come This Year), offers an intimate look at two parents working on the fringes of the oil industry in Myanmar, home to one of the oldest petroleum industries in the world, to provide their son with a better future and secure their own.
In the unregulated oil fields in the Magway region of Myanmar, husband and wife Thein Shwe and Htwe Tin manually extract oil beside their rural village home, producing one barrel of oil every few days. They work incredibly hard to extract and sell the little oil they can. It’s tough, time-consuming and dirty work; by each day’s end, Thein is slick with mud and oil and washes himself thoroughly from head to toe.
Thein and Htwe’s hopes for the future rest on their youngest son, Zin Ko Aung. They try to engage him in the oil work and hope he will look after them when they’re older, but Zin would rather spend his days watching and playing soccer, dreaming of moving to the city and becoming a famous soccer player. The two parents invest in their son’s dreams, sending Zin to a soccer club in the city and consulting with a spiritual guide about his future.
Buddhism and spirituality play an important role in family and community life. Thein and Htwe incorporate prayer, karma, palm-reading and religious ceremony into their everyday lives and planning for the future. Everything has its place in the cycles of life and determining the future, including the name Thein and Htwe chose for their son, the impact of their previous life on this one, and their intentions towards others. Although they worry about what lies ahead for Zin, Thein and Htwe take comfort in their religious and spiritual advisers’ reassurances of the family’s good fortune, good karma and optimistic future.
Intergenerational differences play out on-screen in familiar ways to which all audiences can relate. Hardworking rural parents hope their children will carry on the family business, but instead often lose their children to the temptation of the big city and the desire for an easier life. Younger generations show a declining interest in religion, choosing not to attend religious ceremonies or incorporate it into their daily life. And yet, despite the intergenerational changes that threaten to destabilize the family as a unit, we can also relate and take comfort in the ways they’re able to stick together. Whether it’s Thein and his son Zin talking on the phone about a soccer game on television, or Thein and Htwe doting on their baby granddaughter, the family maintains their unity through many small but important moments.
Farouky captures a beautifully intimate story of family, religion, and community, showcasing the family’s hope, faith, and resilience as they grapple with everyday struggles and cyclical change. Farouky rarely turns the camera from the family, keeping a tight focused eye on their experiences as well as the small moments amidst the rigours of daily life. We catch glimpses of the wider community watching soccer games and participating in religious celebrations that fill in some contextual gaps. Allowing us into Thein and Htwe’s religious and spiritual moments enriches our understanding and appreciation of their culture as well as the role of religion and spirituality in family life.
A Thousand Fires had its international premiere at this year’s Locarno Film Festival. It has also been selected for this year’s International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the world’s largest documentary film festival with a mission to promote inclusivity and give a voice to underrepresented filmmakers. This year’s festival will take place in person once again and runs from November 17 to 28.