OK, kids, we're going to be taking a risk here today on the ol' blog - even though it shouldn't be a risk. The theme of these reviews is a simple one: both films are written, directed by, and star people who...wait for it...don't look like me! I know, in this day and age, this is considered to be sacrilegious, as we're all just supposed to stay in our pre-approved lanes, and if you stray from them, well, that's cultural appropriation. I'm here to tell you that this belief is BS. Cinema is supposed to be about learning, regardless of whether or not the people on the screen look like you. And while I enjoyed one of these films more than the other, both definitely had lessons and situations that are rife for discussion. They also show with crystal clear clarity that diversity existed in film before Black Panther.
1982
Directed by Ann Hui
Starring George Lam, Andy Lau, Cora Miao and Season Ma
Consider this movie a counterpart of sorts to my earlier review of Apocalypse Now. That film was about the general horror of war, with its only message being how war takes people and turns them into monsters who are capable of anything. Boat People is a film about a very specific kind of horror that came out of Vietnam. Writer-director Ann Hui did a trilogy of films on Vietnam, and this is the third and widely considered the best of the three. It's also a film that isn't afraid to take sides, so forewarning to any potential communist sympathizers out there. This movie isn't kind to you. The film is getting an upcoming Criterion release, and while I didn't LOVE this movie per se, I may give it a rewatch soon and consider adding it to my physical media collection.
The film takes place in the aftermath of the communist takeover, and tells its story through the eyes of a Japanese journalist named Akutagawa (George Lam), who is a guest of the government on what is essentially a sponsored propaganda trip. The opening scene of the film shows a large group of singing children performing for Akutagawa in one of the country's New Economic Zones. Only...something is off for our protagonist. He can tell that the entire affair seems like too much of a facade, and he soon strikes out on his own away from his official government handlers to find some new images on the streets. These images, as required by the script, are nowhere near as wholesome and fluffy as singing children. For what it's worth, I thought Lam was excellent in the lead role, although I have to throw a caveat in here - I don't know if I can accurately judge performances in foreign films, because I can't gauge inflection and emotion quite as well when the spoken language is different from the one that I know. Does anyone else have this problem, or is this just another thing that makes me a mutant?
The basic story of Boat People, as you would guess from the title, is an escape drama. Akutagawa becomes close with a family in one of the rougher sections of Da Nang and begins documenting their lives. This section of the movie gives us some very powerful stuff; the mother ( is resorting to prostitution as a means of supporting her children, while 14-year-old Cam Nuong (Season Ma) serves as both the mentor and surrogate parent to her two younger brothers. They live in absolute squalor, with one of the more stirring scenes of the film showing how they scrounge for provisions among the dead bodies of people executed by the government. This leads to the single most tragic incident in the film, one that I won't spoil for anyone who checks this flick out on their own time. The element of surprise is everything here. Suffice to say, these people need to leave the country.
The scenes and passages of the film that show the ugly side of Vietnam are some very powerful stuff. This is effectively the first two-thirds of Boat People, and that span of the film is definitely four stars. Unfortunately, the script introduces a new wrinkle about halfway through the running time in the form of another (mostly unrelated) character looking to escape Vietnam. This character muddies the waters and takes the focus off of the main family, and it results in the screenplay structure meandering all over the place. Undoubtedly, this one of my biases coming to the forefront. I like my scripts and stories to be as tight as possible, and many critics consider this to be one of the best Asian-language films of all time. Maybe it is. Visually and technically, the movie is more or less perfect. The story, minus the superfluous character, is also very engaging, if not a bit didactic and heavy-handed. Sometimes more than a bit.
Rating time: *** out of ****. This film still gets a recommendation from me, especially if you're into the long, bloody history of Vietnam and the refugee crisis that it created. Check it out.
1990
Directed by Charles Burnett
Starring Danny Glover, Paul Butler, Mary Alice, Carl Lumbly, Vonetta McGee, Richard Brooks and Sheryl Lee Ralph
This film was the perfect double feature with Boat People. Both films were written and directed by film-makers that I had never heard of before, with research revealing that they were responsible for several little-known but highly-acclaimed past projects. Both are about a very specific experience in the world that the director knows very well. And both were discovered by me as a blizzard raged outside. Ironically, a very different kind of storm was blowing over my house that day. The film-maker in question this time is Charles Burnett, and To Sleep with Anger is considered his lesser masterwork. Supposedly, the film that I absolutely must see is 1978's Killer of Sheep. While I didn't like this movie as much as Boat People, it was a refreshing watch, because admittedly my previous exposure "black" cinema was 1990's films like Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society. This film is the complete polar opposite of those.
To Sleep with Anger is all about family. Through the generations, and the relationships and tensions contained therein. The first two characters we meet are Gideon (Paul Butler) and his wife Suzie (Mary Alice), an older couple who come from the south and now live in South Central L.A. They have retained several of their southern customs, including raising chickens in their backyard. Gideon and Suzie have two adult children - Junior (Carl Lumbly) and Samuel (Richard Brooks), both of whom have wives and kids of their own. On the surface, the familial unit is close and loving. But we can see just under the surface that there are some old tensions and resentments, likely simmering for many years. Cue the arrival of old friend Harry (Danny Glover) to the house.
It would be a mistake to say that Harry is the villain of this story. He is an old friend of Gideon's from the south, and he has the same likability, charm and manners of Gideon and Suzie. But his affect on all of the characters is unmistakable, especially Samuel. Harry sees that Samuel has a strong resentment for everyone else in the immediate family and is more than willing to push those buttons. This gets compounded when Gideon gets struck with a mysterious ailment and is suddenly bed-ridden. To Sleep with Anger is a movie that is very heavily reliant on dialogue and symbolism, two elements that I'm admittedly a little lacking with my already suspect analytical skills. But my pea-brain was able to deduce that Harry and Gideon represent the past while Junior and Samuel (and their own families) represent the present and future. Harry's presence is meant to provide the spark that makes them catch fire and, ultimately, coexist.
Most of this film is achingly slow. While I enjoy films that take their time to tell a story, there's taking your time and then there's...well, slow. Again, I really dislike the boring descriptor, and this film is not boring. But I do think that 10-15 minutes could have been trimmed from the running time, and the message would have been delivered with much more focus. Having said that, the performances are almost uniformly excellent, especially by Glover as the affable guy with a touch of danger. The final act is also surprisingly satisfying, bringing everything together and wrapping it in a nice little bow in a way that I haven't seen from any film in a good long while.
Rating time: ** 1/2 out of ****. This isn't quite enough for a recommendation. However, if you've got a STRONG tolerance for long dialogue scenes, there is some good stuff to be had here.
