(Le papier ne peut pas envelopper la braise). Rithy Panh continues his masterful exploration of contemporary Cambodia and the legacy of its recent past through the stories of those who literally embody its history: a community of young women who inhabit a decaying apartment building in Phnom Penh, and who are forced into prostitution to survive. Winner of the European Film Award for Best Documentary, Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers is an uncompromising look at women disconnected from their pasts and the constellation of forces that have shaped their destinies: the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge, Western tourism, U.N. peacekeeping, and the all-encompassing winds of capitalism. At the film’s core is A’Da, struggling to support her daughter and parents and paralyzed with guilt as she watches her sister weaken with AIDS. The unforgettable Paper is a bold portrait of a generation adrift, unmoored by the weight of history, yet trying with all its might to escape it.

—Chi-hui Yang

• Written by Panh. Photographed by Prum Mesar. (86 mins, In Khmer with English subtitles, Color, DigiBeta)