Wednesday, 25 February 2010
6:30 p.m. – Korean Studies Auditorium
Directed by Jonathan Foo and Nguyen Phan Quang Binh
Vietnam/Singapore, 2002, 98 minutes
Vietnamese with English Subtitles
An anecdotal, semi-documentary reflection on the Vietnam War from the point of view of some young Viet Cong conscripts, “Song of the Stork” focuses on the human rather than political element to largely engrossing effect. Recounted by former North Vietnamese army cameraman Tran Van Thuy, the film centers on new recruits who arrive at the Xuan Mai Training Camp in summer ’67. Manh is a 16-year-old farmer’s son who lied about his age to enlist; May, from the same village, is a more carefree type. Also in the mix is Hanoi writer Van, who marries his student girlfriend during a few days’ leave, and Lam, who becomes a spy below the border. In picture’s most interesting thread, Lam marries a South Vietnamese colonel’s daughter but stays on to welcome the victorious northern army into Saigon in April ’75 when she and her family flee to the U.S. – Variety
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