Journey From the Fall (2005)

Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 10/30/2007 Run time: 135 minutes Rating: R Product Description

Journey From The Fall

Unfortunately I bought it as a gift and the recipient already has it. She, however, lived through it and states remarkably the DVD is genuine. September 30, 2008

A long overdue movie

One of the few movies which tells the story of Vietnam after America left from the Vietnamese viewpoint. Most Americans were relieved after we left just looking at saving American lives, but the hell of living under a communist regime is often overlooked. Thousands if not millions of people killed, many more imprisioned and/or 're-educated', and still many more risking their lives to try to escape living in poverty and oppression.

The movie was well made. The acting was very good, the filming was great, and the stories were compelling. Although it was confusing at parts with its flashbacks and switching locations and timeframes. It almost tried to get too much in. But still one of the most significant movies about Vietnam ever made and well worth it. July 8, 2008

A personal film

When I was a 2nd Grader, around 1979 at Ruby Drive elementary school in Fullerton, CA, we had a sudden influx of Vietnamese refugees at my school. I was assigned a girl my own age, to help teach her English, play with her and generally make her life a little easier while transitioning to her new country. We were friends for about a year, until my family moved away and I never saw or heard from her again. I remember my mother telling me to be very nice to her and treat her well because she was a boat person, and that her boat had been attacked by pirates and she had been raped, but I was far too young to really understand what any of that meant. It wasn't until I saw "Journey from the Fall" that I really gained any sort of insight as to what she must have gone through.

Opening a window into someone else's experiences is one of the great gifts of film, and director Ham Tran has proven himself to be a virtuoso. The structure of "Journey from the Fall", including multiple time shifts and scene changes, leaves one appropriately disorientated as the characters themselves are. If people are still living or dead, if they have escaped or been captured...this information is put forth in a non-linear order so the confusion and "ah-ha" moments are well balanced. He demands concentration and investigation on the part of the viewer, rather than just feeding the story to a passive audience. One must think about this film, in order to get its full intent.

There is nothing of the beauty of Heaven & Earth, which made full use of the lush Vietnamese landscape. The camera is tight and controlled, and the pictures are realistic and dirty. This is a very human picture. The actors deliver stellar performances, including Long Nguyen, who was also in Heaven and Earth, playing the detained father, and Diem Lien, professionally a singer rather than an actress, as his suffering wife. The storytelling grandmother, Kieu Chinh (The Joy Luck Club), is also amazing, being the heart of a family that has had its soul torn out.

I really feel like I cannot praise this film enough, and I am only sorry that it took me so long to see it. It should almost be required viewing, especially for those of us who had some experience with this during the end of the Vietnam War. While watching, I couldn't help but wonder about what will happen to the people of Iraq when the US finally leaves, and if we will see another version of "Journey from the Fall" 30 years from now. I also wonder about my friend from 2nd grade. I can't even remember her name, but I hope she is doing well.
July 2, 2008

Journey From the Fall

I dound this movie a great story of hardship and determination.
Great Movie
Paul
"Vietnam Veteran" May 15, 2008

Amazing!

Another foreign film that is almost TOO real. A phenomenal film. Everyone involved deserves highest marks. April 24, 2008

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