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| Cambodia reality TV show reunites families torn apart by the Khmer Rouge | Cambodia reality TV show reunites families torn apart by the Khmer Rouge |
| (2 months later) | |
| Khoem Sarom had all but given up hope. In the volatile years after the fall of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime, he trudged through malaria-infested jungles on his own to search for a little girl: his missing niece. | Khoem Sarom had all but given up hope. In the volatile years after the fall of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime, he trudged through malaria-infested jungles on his own to search for a little girl: his missing niece. |
| But he found only dead ends in the tiny villages and teeming refugee camps where he looked. His young niece, his sister's only daughter, was gone. | But he found only dead ends in the tiny villages and teeming refugee camps where he looked. His young niece, his sister's only daughter, was gone. |
| "I thought I would never again see my niece in this life," Khoem Sarom said at his home near Phnom Penh. | "I thought I would never again see my niece in this life," Khoem Sarom said at his home near Phnom Penh. |
| It has been almost 35 years since the Khmer Rouge collapsed, leaving behind a devastated country. Historians estimate that a quarter of the population perished during the regime's four-year rule. | It has been almost 35 years since the Khmer Rouge collapsed, leaving behind a devastated country. Historians estimate that a quarter of the population perished during the regime's four-year rule. |
| The effects of that rule linger. Across a recovering nation, Khoem Sarom's story of loss is not unique. The Khmer Rouge split families apart in a ruthless attempt to remake society. Though decades have passed since its fall, many families are still searching for missing loved ones, unsure if they are alive or dead. | The effects of that rule linger. Across a recovering nation, Khoem Sarom's story of loss is not unique. The Khmer Rouge split families apart in a ruthless attempt to remake society. Though decades have passed since its fall, many families are still searching for missing loved ones, unsure if they are alive or dead. |
| For Khoem Sarom and others like him, a reality television show offers a chance to find some sort of closure after years of uncertainty. | For Khoem Sarom and others like him, a reality television show offers a chance to find some sort of closure after years of uncertainty. |
| It's Not a Dream brings together long-lost relatives . The catch is that the reunions are staged under the lights and glare of cameras and a live studio audience. | It's Not a Dream brings together long-lost relatives . The catch is that the reunions are staged under the lights and glare of cameras and a live studio audience. |
| The end result is a jarring fusion: the gawking immediacy of reality TV mixed with raw emotion left by genocide. | The end result is a jarring fusion: the gawking immediacy of reality TV mixed with raw emotion left by genocide. |
| In the absence of a national programme to track down the missing, however, the producers believe the show can play a small but vital role. | In the absence of a national programme to track down the missing, however, the producers believe the show can play a small but vital role. |
| In its three-year run, It's Not a Dream has orchestrated 27 reunions. More than 1,000 applicants have asked the show for help. | In its three-year run, It's Not a Dream has orchestrated 27 reunions. More than 1,000 applicants have asked the show for help. |
| "It's not entertainment," said one of its producers, Prak Sokhayouk. "It's human life." | "It's not entertainment," said one of its producers, Prak Sokhayouk. "It's human life." |
| The show has a mostly older audience – Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge and who see their own haunting experiences reflected in the tearful stories recounted on screen. | The show has a mostly older audience – Cambodians who lived through the Khmer Rouge and who see their own haunting experiences reflected in the tearful stories recounted on screen. |
| The show, Prak Sokhayouk believes, can spark inter-generational discussions needed in a country where the dark past has often been buried. | The show, Prak Sokhayouk believes, can spark inter-generational discussions needed in a country where the dark past has often been buried. |
| It took until 2009 for the government to make Khmer Rouge history a part of the school curriculum. A long-running war crimes tribunal set up to prosecute former leaders has so far convicted one person. Two surviving former leaders are currently facing trial. | It took until 2009 for the government to make Khmer Rouge history a part of the school curriculum. A long-running war crimes tribunal set up to prosecute former leaders has so far convicted one person. Two surviving former leaders are currently facing trial. |
| In such an environment, some observers believe there is a role that even a reality show can play in healing old wounds. | In such an environment, some observers believe there is a role that even a reality show can play in healing old wounds. |
| "It's a very Cambodian way of trying to bring some closure," said Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, a prominent genocide research organisation. "You put the story on stage and there's a bit of drama and a happy ending." | "It's a very Cambodian way of trying to bring some closure," said Youk Chhang, the director of the Documentation Centre of Cambodia, a prominent genocide research organisation. "You put the story on stage and there's a bit of drama and a happy ending." |
| Still, not everyone is eager to air their tragedies in such a public forum. Like many Cambodians, Youk Chhang lost family during the Khmer Rouge years. | Still, not everyone is eager to air their tragedies in such a public forum. Like many Cambodians, Youk Chhang lost family during the Khmer Rouge years. |
| "I think reconciliation is very personal. For me, I couldn't," he said. "I have no more tears to cry. So I couldn't go on stage to cry." | "I think reconciliation is very personal. For me, I couldn't," he said. "I have no more tears to cry. So I couldn't go on stage to cry." |
| For others, though, It's Not a Dream is the only chance they have ever had at bringing their family together. | For others, though, It's Not a Dream is the only chance they have ever had at bringing their family together. |
| At a recent taping, Seak Mala sat on stage, waiting to tell her story. | At a recent taping, Seak Mala sat on stage, waiting to tell her story. |
| "I used to go to bed crying, because I always missed my mother," she said on the morning of the show. "I never dared to go looking for them." | "I used to go to bed crying, because I always missed my mother," she said on the morning of the show. "I never dared to go looking for them." |
| Seak Mala had heard about It's Not a Dream months before and decided to call the show. She asked them if they could find her family: her father, mother, grandmother and her uncle. | Seak Mala had heard about It's Not a Dream months before and decided to call the show. She asked them if they could find her family: her father, mother, grandmother and her uncle. |
| "I thought that if my parents and relatives heard my story, they would remember me," she said. | "I thought that if my parents and relatives heard my story, they would remember me," she said. |
| On stage, she stared at a large screen that showed a pre-produced video of Khoem Sarom describing his own loss. Backstage, he waited in silence as she slowly realised the man on the screen was her long-lost uncle. | On stage, she stared at a large screen that showed a pre-produced video of Khoem Sarom describing his own loss. Backstage, he waited in silence as she slowly realised the man on the screen was her long-lost uncle. |
| The drama rose to a climax and Seak Mala, already in tears, was told she could finally meet him. | The drama rose to a climax and Seak Mala, already in tears, was told she could finally meet him. |
| The show's saccharine reunion music blared through studio speakers as Khoem Sarom was led on stage. For the first time in decades, uncle and niece embraced – and live on a national television. | The show's saccharine reunion music blared through studio speakers as Khoem Sarom was led on stage. For the first time in decades, uncle and niece embraced – and live on a national television. |
| "I thought I lost you for ever," he said, sobbing in his niece's ear. | "I thought I lost you for ever," he said, sobbing in his niece's ear. |
| Still, even a seemingly cathartic reunion is bittersweet. As the cameras closed in, Seak Mala whispered a question to her uncle: "Where is my mother?" | Still, even a seemingly cathartic reunion is bittersweet. As the cameras closed in, Seak Mala whispered a question to her uncle: "Where is my mother?" |
| Khoem Sarom wiped his eyes with a cloth. "I don't know if she's alive or if she's dead," he said. | Khoem Sarom wiped his eyes with a cloth. "I don't know if she's alive or if she's dead," he said. |
| • This article was amended on 19 July 2013. An earlier version referred to the drama rising to a crescendo, rather than a climax. This has been corrected. | • This article was amended on 19 July 2013. An earlier version referred to the drama rising to a crescendo, rather than a climax. This has been corrected. |
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