[KFCC] Green Dragon Review

Story: The war is coming to an end. Saigon is about to fall to the North and hundreds of thousands of South Vietnamese will flee, leaving their past behind as they step upon the foreign soils of America… and become refugees.

Green Dragon lays its story on the grounds of Camp Pendleton, circa 1975, as we experience intermingling stories of hope and desperation amongst its inhabitants. Tai Tran cares for his nephew and niece as he struggles around his new surroundings, fearing the outside world. Minh shares the yearnings of his mother, missing in the confusion of war, with a mess hall cook, Addie, who also reminisces of a mother lost. And Gunnery Sergeant Jim Lance watches over these lost souls in the faith of quelling their spirits while he finds new understanding within his own heart.

Review: Green Dragon is the story of Vietnamese immigrants, a journey that is both tragic and beautiful, carrying the historical significance of an era forgotten. For most Americans, the Vietnam War was a war lost to North Vietnamese Communist, but for the South Vietnamese, their past was left behind and the ties of their motherland severed as they fled to the shores of North America.

Timothy Bui's film is one instance of this aftermath, of people attempting to find a home in another world. His characters are forlorn, on the verge of breaking, yet hopeful to the truth of an improved future within this free American world they have heard so much about. Though, at the same time, starting anew can be troublesome and hard on the mind. The stubborn ones cannot let go, the bitter do not care and the hopefuls fear for their future.

Unfolding through the eyes of actor, Don Duong as Tran, we have a sentimental view of everyday life in the campgrounds. He plays translator for Patrick Swayze's Sergeant Lance and becomes intermediary between his people and the American soldiers. A budding relationship is formed between the two as they learn about their respective situations and feelings about Vietnam, America, freedom, opportunity, and life. What makes this particularly interesting is that for the first time, we are presented cinematically the views of a refugee through Vietnamese eyes instead of what it may have been interpreted by Americans. Thus, it is more emotionally compelling and connecting for its genuine perspective.

Co-written with award winning director and brother, Tony Bui (THREE SEASONS), and inspired by stories from their mother, Timothy Bui makes his directorial debut through vignettes of bittersweet melancholy, painted in expressive cinematography and imaginative art direction. GREEN DRAGON is a sensitive film that will not only inspire, but provide a rich portrait an important era for Vietnamese Americans.