The Rocket is a 2013 Australian drama film written and directed by Kim Mordaunt, packaged on DVD.

A boy who is believed to bring bad luck to everyone around him leads his family and a couple of ragged misfits through Laos to find a new home. After a calamity filled journey through a land scarred by the legacy of war,to prove hes not cursed he builds a giant rocket to enter the most dangerous competition of the year the Rocket Festival.Set in the rarely seen tribal mountains of Laos, The Rocket is gripping yet heart warming cinema in the vein of the Oscar winning Salaam Bombay,Central Station,The Motorcycle Diaries and the kids story in Slumdog Millionaire, with a touch of Little Miss Sunshine.It is a universal story about the determination of a boy who has the odds stacked against him, about overcoming self-doubt, about forgiveness and the power of unconditional love. The Rocket stars acclaimed Thai/Lao actor Thep Po-ngarm in the role of a damaged but humorous former CIA soldier who becomes a mentor to our young hero.

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The Rocket Movie Reviews

“Mordaunt’s eye indicates a thoughtful filmmaker able to listen to the winds of what a movie needs. Effortlessly natural, his workmanlike craft carries the capacity to keep an ear open to happenstance.” The Playlist

“Watching Ahlo mix his explosives is like watching a Cordon Bleu chef whipping up a stupendous soufflé.” Wall Street Journal

“The kid performances are impressive and the subtext of a region still shaking off the effects of a long-ended war gives seed to some much needed discussion.” Film.com

“It follows a search for personal salvation while painting a portrait of Laotian life that's both revealing and relatable.” Detroit News

“A powerful, deeply moving drama about a young boy who comes to terms with the tragedies that have befallen his family by creating a thing of beauty – a gorgeous, high-flying rocket emitting triumphant bursts of color – out of refuse left by the war.” Philadelphia Inquirer