Movies: Becoming Human (2025) by Polen Ly: A Ghost’s Choice Between Love and Rebirth

When spirits linger in a changing city Becoming Human is a Cambodian drama directed and written by Polen Ly. It tells the story of Thida, a ghost who serves as the guardian of an old cinema on the verge of demolition. As she faces the possibility of rebirth, she encounters Hai, a living man, and forms an unexpected emotional bond. Their connection forces Thida to confront not only her fate but also the sweeping economic and social changes reshaping the city around her. With a cast led by Savorn Serak, Piseth Chhun, and Sreybor Pin, the film premiered on August 29, 2025, at the Venice Film Festival. Produced by Anti-Archive, and shot in Battambang, Cambodia, this is a story that fuses the supernatural with reflections on love, identity, and transformation.

Why to Recommend Movie — A Poetic Tale of Ghosts and Love

• Unique supernatural premise: Instead of typical ghost stories of fear, the film offers a deeply emotional narrative about choice, destiny, and connection.The spirit guardian of a cinema becomes a metaphor for memory, history, and the passing of time, making the supernatural feel both intimate and universal.

• Cambodian voice in world cinema: Polen Ly’s debut brings Cambodian culture and storytelling to the forefront of global cinema.This not only provides representation but also enriches the international film landscape with a narrative steeped in local history and spirituality.

• Festival recognition: Its world premiere at Venice signals artistic credibility and positions it as one of Cambodia’s most significant contributions to international cinema in recent years.The selection alone shows confidence in its originality and resonance with audiences beyond its home country.

Where to watch: https://www.mymovies.it/one/movie/18446-becoming-human/ (Italy, available until 3rd of September)

Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt37651659/

Link Review: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/venice-cambodia-becoming-human-lights-on-1236490146/

About movie: https://www.antiarchive.com/becominghuman.html

What is the Trend Followed? — Spirituality Meets Social Change

The film belongs to a growing trend of combining supernatural narratives with social realities.

• Ghosts as cultural witnesses: Spirits serve as bridges between history, memory, and the present, linking the personal to the collective.

  In Becoming Human, the ghost’s story reflects Cambodia’s confrontation with modernization and loss of tradition.

• Love across boundaries: By exploring romance between a ghost and a living man, the film connects the fantastical with universal emotional truths.

  This shows how genre can transcend its roots to speak about belonging and identity.

• National cinema in global festivals: It joins other Southeast Asian films using spirituality and folklore as entry points to international recognition.

  The result is both culturally specific and globally relatable.

Director’s Vision — Memory and Transformation Through a Ghost’s Eyes

• Empathy for the unseen: Polen Ly reframes ghost stories not as horror but as deeply human tales about longing, transition, and choice.

  This allows viewers to approach the supernatural with compassion rather than fear.

• The cinema as metaphor: By setting the story in an old movie theater facing demolition, Ly makes the ghost’s fate a reflection of cultural heritage and generational change.

  The theater becomes both sanctuary and battleground for memory.

• Poetic realism: Ly uses quiet imagery and atmosphere to merge the ethereal with daily Cambodian life.

  This creates a meditative space where the ghost’s choices feel as real as the city’s economic transformation.

Themes — Love, Memory, and Rebirth

• The fragility of love: A connection between ghost and human shows how affection can transcend boundaries, but also how fleeting such intimacy can be.

• Heritage under threat: The demolition of the cinema mirrors the erasure of cultural memory in a rapidly modernizing society.

• Identity and choice: Thida must decide between moving on through rebirth or clinging to the attachments of her current existence.

• Life and afterlife: The film dissolves the line between the living and the dead, suggesting both realms are equally shaped by longing and change.

Key Success Factors — Visionary Debut from Cambodia

• Rare national representation: As a Cambodian film premiering in Venice, it amplifies a voice seldom heard in global cinema.

• Emotional depth in fantasy: By grounding supernatural elements in emotional truth, the film resonates with audiences across cultures.

• Symbolic imagery: The old theater, the ghost guardian, and the changing city together create a layered metaphor for modern Cambodia.

• Festival momentum: Its Venice premiere ensures exposure to critics, programmers, and audiences worldwide, raising the profile of both the director and Cambodian cinema.

Awards & Nominations — Festival Debut

The film premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival 2025, securing a prestigious platform for its international journey. While awards are still forthcoming, its selection marks it as one of Cambodia’s most important cinematic achievements to date.

Critics Reception — A Poetic Ghost Story

• Critics have praised its restraint and meditative tone, noting how it avoids horror tropes to tell a gentle, humanist ghost story.

• Many highlighted the symbolic use of the old cinema as both a character and a metaphor for cultural memory.

• Early responses also emphasized Polen Ly’s originality, calling the film a tender mix of supernatural imagination and social commentary.

Summary: Critics frame Becoming Human as a deeply poetic and culturally rich debut that finds humanity in the spirit world.

Reviews — Gentle, Spiritual, and Resonant

• Reviewers admired the film’s balance between supernatural storytelling and grounded emotional drama.

• Its atmosphere, performances, and use of Cambodian settings give it authenticity and emotional weight.

• The romance at its heart was described as tender yet tragic, capturing the pain of impermanence.

Summary: Reviews portray Becoming Human as a rare ghost story that is both intimate and socially resonant, leaving audiences reflective and moved.

Movie Trend — Ghost Stories as Cultural Memory

The film continues a trend of using supernatural tales not for horror but for cultural and emotional exploration. It places ghosts in the role of memory-keepers, bridging history, identity, and the inevitability of change.

Social Trend — Urban Transformation and Emotional Displacement

The narrative reflects wider social anxieties in Cambodia and beyond—heritage sites being demolished, cultural memory fading, and communities adapting to rapid modernization. The ghost’s struggle becomes a metaphor for people caught between past traditions and uncertain futures.

Final Verdict — A Spiritual Love Story with Global Resonance

Becoming Human is a haunting yet gentle exploration of love, memory, and change. With its Venice premiere, poetic vision, and Cambodian voice, Polen Ly’s debut stands out as one of 2025’s most original works. It turns a ghost story into a universal meditation on impermanence and belonging, reminding audiences that sometimes the most human stories come from the other side of life.