On Wednesday, February 12, Tran Van Thuy screened two of his award-winning films at UMass Boston. The first film shown was “The Sound of the Violin at My Lai,” which was the recipient of the Best Short Film Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival in 1999. Narrated in English, the film relayed the story of the massacre that occurred in My Lai on March 16, 1968, when American soldiers killed 504 civilians in a matter of four hours.
However, despite such somber material, the film relayed a message of hope and redemption. This is because the violin player was actually a former American soldier, Mike Walk. Walk returned to Vietnam in an effort to make amends for the wrongs that were committed against the people of My Lai. One of the activities pursued by Walk is playing his violin, both for the current residents and the souls of the dead.
Another hopeful aspect of the film was the emotional reunion between two Vietnamese women who were rescued from the massacre and the American soldiers who saved them. As the American soldiers were introduced to the grateful women’s children, who would never have come into existence if not for the soldiers’ efforts, the viewer was easily struck by the absurdity of the situation. After all, there would be nothing to thank the soldiers for if their comrades had not been annihilating the village. However, the example was actually perfectly suited to My Thuy’s intent of creating a film, which showcased the fact that forgiveness and repentance can overcome pain and resentment.
Yet, the most powerful moments of the film were completely visual. Several minutes of the film were devoted to images of modern Vietnamese children playing, immediately followed by images of the American soldiers burning huts and killing women. The stark contrast of these images was overwhelming. In fact, many members of the audience began to sob. When asked if he often used this style of conflicting images to get a point across, Thuy said, “In film, the goal is always to communicate visually as much as possible.”
The next film presented was “The Story of Kindness.” This film, with English subtitles, was inspired by the death of Thuy’s close friend. In fact, several scenes of the film consist of the gentleman doling out words of wisdom from his deathbed. The film is intended as a glimpse into the Vietnamese way of life after the war. It becomes apparent very early on in that it is also a critique of the government treatment of its people. In fact, the film was so controversial it was banned from Vietnam from 1982-1987, and is currently banned again.
After the movie was shown, Thuy explained to the audience that the Cinema Du Reel award “The Story of Kindness” received in 1989 is the only reason he is even permitted in his own country. He stated, “I was so happy to receive this award so that I could return home and be allowed to look people in the eye.” This piece of knowledge served to make the audience appreciate the pleasure of viewing Thuy’s films even more.
“The Story of Kindness” demonstrated Thuy’s gift of transcending the need for language through stunning visuals. While the film is a look at Vietnamese life, its material was in fact internationally relevant because the film provided a witty and humorous look at the human condition. Thuy accomplished this by asking people on the streets what kindness was. Their responses ranged from confusion to self-assurance.
However, regardless of the answer, the aim of the film was to expose how intricately connected kindness and cruelty often are. This was accomplished visually by showing emaciated individuals sitting on a street corner, begging for bread, and then revealing someone eating a large, roasted chicken. Other powerful images were nuns caring selflessly for lepers.
What made the film particularly wonderful was the lack of pretentiousness and self-righteousness on the part of the filmmaker. This was made clear in the final scene of the film, which consisted of the film crew riding along in a car while viewing a mother and her young son struggling with a cart of vegetables. After several moments of this scene, the narrator declares, ” Would we really ever be so stupid as to give up our luxuries to live like the poor?”
After the screening of the films, audience members had the opportunity to ask Thuy questions about his work. Nguyen Ba Chuy translated. A reception, consisting of traditional Vietnamese food was served in the Chancellor’s Conference room. During the reception guests had the opportunity to ask further questions of Thuy. When asked how he had managed to make such somber material amusing, he responded, “Comedy and tragedy are easily confused.”