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To learn more about the film, read our blog by guest writer Damjan Rakonjac, UCLA Ph.D. candidate in Musicology and graduate student in the UCLA Department of European Languages and Transcultural Studies.
Journey from the Fall
U.S., 2006
Set in the aftermath of the Fall of Saigon, Journey from the Fall weaves together stories of a family separated, struggling for freedom. Like many South Vietnamese soldiers at the end of the Vietnam War, Long (played by Long Nguyen) is forced into a punishing Communist re-education camp. As his mother (played by veteran actress Kieu Chinh), wife (Diem Lien), and son make the treacherous escape from Vietnam by boat, Long’s own survival is placed in peril. Director Hàm Trần’s thrilling, award-winning drama, inspired by true stories of refugees, artfully defies the narratives often told about the Vietnamese experience. Aided by Christopher Wong’s powerful score and with a strong ensemble cast, Trần’s Journey from the Fall richly examines the role of memory and family in communities—and a country—built out of resilience.
35mm, color, 135 min. Director: Hàm Trần. Screenwriters: Hàm Trần, Lam Nguyen. With: Long Nguyen, Kieu Chinh, Diem Lien.
Presented as part of Hear + Việt + Film, a Symposium on Music in Trans-Vietnamese Film organized by the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Special thanks to our community partner: UCLA Asian American Studies Center.
