23 years in the making and nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Nerakhoon (The Betrayal) is just the sort of gorgeously shot, visually powerful film that should be expected from the first directorial stab of Ellen Kuras, whose career as a Directory of Photography led her through I Shot Andy Warhol and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Partnering with her Loatian language teacher, Thavisouk Phrasavath, the two tell the story of his family. It’s a strong and clear narrative, familiar to recently transposed families: a corrupt/unsteady government (Communism in Laos, in this case) hunting political ‘malcontents’; a family separated; emigrating to the U.S. and financially devastated by the process; and figuring out, one detail of daily life at a time, how to fit in while maintaining cultural practices.

With the strength of the story freeing Kuras and Phrasavath from visual conventions, the documentary also clips neatly from straight-forward cinema-verité to archival footage to scenes with an experimental edge — the seamed mix seeking a more “poetic” way of communicating.

Check out the sneak preview tonight at the IFC in New York, with Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath present.

Details here.