I just came home from watching Journey from the Fall. Yes, at 1:30 AM... (don't mind the "4:13" on top... I just don't know how to change it to my time zone) I came into the movies expecting it to be some crappy low budget movie made by ameteur directors and producers with cheesy screenwriting, corny dialogue, and horrendous acting who were by no means fluent in the Vietnamese language (as confirmed in previous Vietnamese-American attempts to make international "hits" or whatever). I was dead wrong.

This movie is superb. The dialouge was AWESOME!! I loved it!! I liked how they casted an actual FOB kid (with no offence), not an Americanized kid (also with no offence, I just can't think of nicer-choice words...) who could not speak Vietnamese. The acting was not as corny as it could have been, and the images were powerful enough that one may cry from just looking at them. The portrayals of the V-A community right down to the trash picking and the refering to of "chineto" was accurate. My mom was able to relate to the trash picking -_-... ANYWAYS... my favorite aspect of the movie was its symbolism, which I am too lazy to explain.

This movie was able to force tears out of my eyes six or seven times! The emotions were done very well, and I was able to sympathize with all of the characters. It gave me much insight as to who I am as a Vietnamese American, as cheesy as that sounds T.T. I feel bad to have never listened to the long lectures my parents often give me regarding where they come from.

As great as the movie may be, my parents still did not believe that it made those millions of boat people and those men in the re-education camps justice. I was like: ARE YOU KIDDDING ME?! THAT WASNT BAD ENOUGH?! Apparently not. After the movie, my family sat in the living room and talked about the Fall of Saigon, and what harships they suffered. Being a child during times of peace, I had no idea. I loved storytime!!

My dad was a victim of the re-education camps, taken away from his mother, his wife, and four children, and recieved no news of whether his family was living, or whether his wife has remarried, or whether they have already forgotten about him, for six whole years. My dad, by nature, is a garrulous person. I knew he liked to talk, but I never expected what he said was actually true. He told of how he was boxed and shipped to some isolated island, and forced to work. He told of how his friends were slaughtered like animals. He told of how he forgotten what children were. (true story!!! The first time he saw children since he entered these camps, he thought that they were some weird species that were miniature humans. But one must keep in mind that the last time he saw a child was four years before.)

My mother, who had been by herself and raising four children (oh yea... did I mention that I am the 7th child? No, I was not there when this was taking place, they had me much later, in 1991, and from what I hear, I was unplanned. So were the two kids they had before me... but er... why am I talking about this?! ANYWAY...) on her own, and recieved no news of her husband. She struggled to survive with no reliable source of income, and lived from rats that ran about the house, which they were fortunate enough to have... but then again, two walls and a roof above it does not really qualifiy to be a house.

Though I really liked the movie, I would like to point out some critiques.
1. the Le Loi story
WTHeck was this?! Okay, I was taught this piece of history, and yes, it is interesting. But I do not understand the symbolism it plays in this movie. Maybe I'm missing something.
2. the language
Even though the movie was entirely (with the exception of one or two scenes) in Vietnamese... my parents, who could not speak English to save their lives, were like ?????? I must admit, I had to rely on the English subtitles whenever that Long guy was speaking... I did not understand what the heck he was saying.
3. the hair
Well... maybe this is out of jealousy. While people were throwing up, or being beaten up, or whatever faces of harship, they managed to keep their hair perfectly in position. Their hair just did not get messed up at all!!!!

But yea... today was the opening weekend, and the director was there. He had such an awesome t-shirt... It has a picture of a pig and it read "what the heo?!@#$#" well... "heo" is the Vietnamese word for pig, but ANYWAY... I have a new tshirt. (merchandise of movie, not the pig one) -_-

...that was long

Fall of Saigon
We're starting to go over that a little in history, although we haven't quite gotten to the right time area.

The same goes with Chinese. In the movies they use really "rich", deep slurs on some of the words, and my grandpa, who is full Chinese, has a hard time understanding them sometimes too.

And also, I happen to be able to keep my hair in perfect position too. Perhaps that's because it's only a few inches long lol
» The-Muffin-Man on 2007-03-25 03:09:09

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