Daddy, tell me a story.
Well I can tell you about the days...
When Burma was called the Golden Land.
Is that the kind of story you want?
Yes!
Once upon a time...
Burma was a beautiful country.
Blessed with great forests of teak and ebony.
This was a time when tigers still prowled the jungles.
And elephants roamed the Great Plains.
You'd find sapphires as blue as the bluest sky.
And rubies redder than your cheeks.
More jewels, than a princess like you, could ever wish for.
And then?
Actually, it's a sad story.
Soldiers from a faraway land...
Came and stole all our precious things.
That's how our country became so poor.
My precious daughter!
Sit down here, my darling.
Sit down.
I have to go, but Mummy's over there.
Good morning!
The main priority is to form a government.
It's crucial that the people participate...
If we are to establish a genuine democracy.
Let's go!
The General...
It's good to hear your voice.
Yes.
Your mother is Rangoon General Hospital.
You should come quickly.
- Arriving from England? - Yes.
- Length of stay? - As long as I need to.
It's time to wash the patient.
Thank you.
Does she talk to any of the other people there?
Just a few.
At immigration, did she say how long she'd be staying?
She said, "As long as I need to."
Get right back over there.
Go help out there!
Leave them alone! These are patients!
Stop!
I wear the red scarf. I have the authority to kill you.
Daw Suu! You're back! What a joy!
Two grandchildren already?
Yes, two grandchildren.
Let me.
You must be tired. I'll take it up to your room.
Come on, children.
Daw Suu! There are more people to see you.
A writer and his friends.
You look so like your father.
Please forgive our impatience.
We have just learned of your arrival in Rangoon.
And we couldn't pass up this opportunity.
This is a crucial time.
Wait for me here.
Your shoes.
I'm surrounded by adversity...
These days.
No, none of the 37 spirits.
A ghost.
So...
It could be him?
Yes...
It's an ancestor.
But...
A spirit has come to help him.
It comes from far away.
A woman?
Maybe.
Should I eliminate her?
A spirit is even more dangerous if it becomes a ghost.
In that case...
How can I get rid of her?
If the country is at peace, it won't need the spirit.
And the spirit will return to the place it came from.
Thank you.
Your advice is always invaluable.
Hello!
I'm very well.
Get rid of those dogs!
Come here.
General, six professors from Rangoon University...
Told Aung San Suu Kyi that only she can unite the people.
What else?
They asked Aung San Suu Kyi to lead a movement for democracy.
So she's staying?
Yes sir.
OK.
Aung San Suu Kyi will be at Shwedagon tomorrow.
Your shoes.
Shame the spirits didn't warned you!
This idea of?? consulting the people...
is not working out.
Wasn't it your idea?
It turns out...
I was badly advised.
General Sein Lwin, I have a mission for you.
Identify the areas of greatest opposition...
And relocate all troublemakers.
That's a lot of people.
Our prisons will be big enough.
The most important thing is...
To not let Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters out of our sight.
And no public gatherings!
- At your orders, sir. - Good.
We have nothing but respect and admiration for you!
Reverend monks, people of Burma!
The purpose of this gathering is...
To let the world know the will of the people.
The purpose of today's rally is...
To show that the whole nation demands democracy.
That's why we have gathered here.
Some of you may not be familiar with my personal history.
And it's only natural...
That you might like to know some facts.
Since I have spent most of my life abroad...
Because I married a foreigner...
It's been said that I can't comprehend the complexity of Burma's history.
So let me tell you quite candidly...
That while it's true I have lived abroad...
And perfectly true I am married to a foreigner...
These simple facts...
Do not mean my love and devotion to my country...
Have ever diminished.
My father gave everything he had...
To Burmese politics.
And ultimately he gave his life.
So as my father's daughter...
I cannot remain indifferent...
to the events taking place right now.
Our cherished goal is now within sight.
We call for free and fair elections...
To be organised as quickly as possible.
Let us not be divided.
Let us unite and march forward together towards our goal!
Daw Suu!
A million people?
Maybe not quite a million, sir.
And the press?
National League for Democracy
National League for Democracy pamphlets!
Declaration number 1.
I see.
Sein Lwin, you know what to do.
Yes, Sir.
Let's go.
Take good care of Mum.
Of course.
I urge you all to embrace democracy...
and the defence of basic human rights.
It is essential that we do this peacefully...
And without further loss of life.
We, the National League for Democracy...
Are here to ensure that you the people...
finally have a voice.
There is our village.
And over there is another village.
Your mother has passed away. She's gone.
Mum?
One problem solved!
Let's quickly fix this other one.
She said she would only leave...
After the elections.
Keep the pressure on that woman!
No public meetings allowed! Go back home!
In line! In line!
Go back or we will shoot!
Prepare to fire!
Turn back! That's an order!
Stop right there or we will shoot!
One...
Two...
Stop! Let them go!
We're pulling out!
Pull out!
Ready?
One...
Two...
Three!
What is more dangerous than a general?
Two generals.
So, you're the one...
who gave orders to shoot?
And you...
You took it upon yourself to save her?
It's time for you all to learn a lesson.
Your weapon.
Give it to me.
Take him away.
When her father was killed, he became a martyr.
We can't risk his daughter becoming one too.
Have I made myself clear?
A tree whose roots have been cut off...
Will eventually fall by itself.
I urge you all to embrace democracy...
and the defence of basic human rights.
It is essential we do this peacefully...
And without further loss of life.
Democracy!
Come with us!
It's my belief...
With regard to this woman's supporters...
We must sever their links with them.
Cut her off from the outside world?
Sir. I have an idea how to handle this.
Continue.
If you put me in charge, sir.
I'll ensure she is forgotten both here and abroad.
- Pick a number. - Five.
Sein Lwin, you're dismissed.
From now on, you will report directly to me.
You have sole charge of this matter.
- You can rely on me, sir. - Good.
Aung San Suu Kyi! You are hereby under house arrest.
Everybody except your children must leave this house.
Please return to your homes as quickly and quietly as you can.
Get out, all of you. No one stays behind!
Take all that!
Go. Go now!
Take everything! Don't leave a single document.
The bookcase too.
My jokes?
I take it you didn't find them funny.
Run and get your father! Hurry!
Take all papers and files.
Insein - The largest prison in Burma.
Apparently, Aung San Suu Kyi is worried about you.
Here, eat.
What's going on in there?
Let me put flowers in your hair.
Look at this!
After all that, she still won!
This is all garbage!
Get me the phone!
Stop!
Go back inside immediately!
I told you to go inside. Now!
I have the authority to shoot you. Go back inside!
Go back inside the house!
The electricity's gone! The radio won't work.
Don't worry. I know what we can do.
Hang on, we can use these batteries.
What's going on?
Swap with him.
Suu, the Chief of police is here.
A letter from England!
It's taken longer than I expected.
But I always knew...
That even General Aung San's daughter...
Would one day lose heart and admit defeat.
March 1999.
8 years later.
After 15 years of house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi was released in 2010.
Yet according to Amnesty International the Burmese military continues to have one of the worst human rights records in the world.
The charges against them include mass murder, torture, rape, and forced labour of both adults and children.
There are currently 2,100 political prisoners in detention. Seventeen are video journalists, some of whose colleagues courageously supplied footage for this film.