Near a coastal village in Thailand, close to where thousands of Rohingya refugees have drowned, a local fisherman finds an injured man lying unconscious in the forest. He rescues the stranger, who does not speak a word, offers him his friendship and names him Thongchai. But, when the fisherman suddenly disappears at sea, Thongchai slowly begins to take over his friend’s life – his house, his job and his ex-wife. The Rohingya, a stateless and persecuted minority in Myanmar, have been fleeing their country in rickety boats for years in search of a better life. Many boats have been left to be stranded at sea by Thai authorities and recently mass graves were discovered in the southern Thai border. Manta Ray premiered in Orizzonti Competition in Venice, where it won the best film award, and was afterwards screened in Toronto and San Sebastián.

Subtitles: HR, EN