Beyond Rangoon

Patricia Arquette stars as American doctor Laura Bowman who flees to Burma on a package tour with her sister, Andy (Frances McDormand), following a family tragedy. Rather than achieve the peace and solitude she is desperately searching for, she encounters problems when the clash between peaceful protest and a militant government take an ugly turn. Andy flees the country, but Laura finds herself alone after being separated from her tour group, and without an identity after her passport is stolen at a political rally. She is befriended by a former professor (Aung Ko) who attempts to help her reach the Thailand border, and an allegory is drawn between a young woman’s plight to reach freedom and that of a nation facing political unrest. On their journey they witness firsthand the political struggle encountered by a group of dissidents. Cast also includes Spalding Gray and Victor Slezak.