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Journey from the Fall

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Journey from the Fall
Theatrical release poster
Directed byHam Tran
Written byHam Tran
Produced byLam Nguyen
Ham Tran
StarringKieu Chinh
Long Nguyen
Diem Lien
Cat Ly
CinematographyGuillermo Rosas
Julie Kirkwood
Edited byHam Tran
Music byChristopher Wong
Distributed byImaginAsian Pictures
Release dates
Running time
135 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesVietnamese
English

Journey from the Fall (Vietnamese: Vượt Sóng) is a 2006 independent film by writer/director/editor Ham Tran, about the Vietnamese re-education camp and boat people experience following the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975. This drama was released on March 23, 2007, by ImaginAsian to sold-out screenings. The film is notable for having been financed entirely by the Vietnamese American community.

Plot

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The film traces the story of a family's struggle for survival in the aftermath of the Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, to North Vietnam's communist regime. After her South Vietnamese Army husband Long, is imprisoned in a North Vietnamese re-education camp, Mai, her son Lai, and her mother-in-law escape Vietnam by boat in the hopes of starting a new life in Southern California. Believing his family is dead, Long gives up in the face of brutal conditions, while Mai struggles to keep her family from crumbling under the pressures of life in a new country. When Long learns his family is alive in America, he is reinvigorated and decides he must join them at any cost.

Cast

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  • Diem Lien as Mai Nguyen
  • Kieu Chinh as Ba Noi (Grandmother)
  • Long Nguyen as Long Nguyen
  • Nguyen Thai Nguyen as Lai Nguyen
  • Cat Ly as Phuong
  • Xavier Ortiz as Bully

Reception

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Critical response

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The film was received with critical acclaim. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 92% rating, with the consensus being that "Ham Tran's ambitious film proves to be extremely powerful due to stunning photography and passionate performances" and is currently ranked 27th in the Top 100 Best Movies of 2007.[1] Matt Zoller Seitz of The New York Times remarked that the director "achieves the impossible" and called it a "tearjerker".[2] Los Angeles Times called it a "superbly wrought saga of loss and survival" and "an example of sophisticated, impassioned filmmaking involving mainly people who lived through the harrowing experiences so unsparingly depicted".[3] Bruce Newman of The Mercury News called it "heartbreaking" and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.[4] Russell Edwards from Variety said it "deserves to be seen by a wider commercial audience" and is "frequently enthralling".[5] New York magazine had a negative review of the film, saying that it has "several powerful sequences" but "never quite come[s] alive".[6] Bill White of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer was even more critical, suggesting that "this Journey doesn't know where it's going", criticizing the "careless cinematography" and "clumsy stag[ing]".[7]

Response from Vietnamese diaspora

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An early cut of the film was screened in April 2005 in sold-out one-day-only showings in Little Saigon, Washington, D.C., and San Jose to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of the Fall of Saigon. The film was highly praised by the Vietnamese diaspora as an accurate presentation of the experiences that many Vietnamese people had to go through.[8][9][10][11] In the process of making the film, the director interviewed more than 400 former boat people, some of whom are cast in the film even though they are not professional actors.[10]

Accolades

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Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Amazonas Film Festival 2006 Grand Jury Prize Ham Tran Won [12]
Anchorage International Film Festival 2006 Golden Oosik Award for Best Feature Won [13]
Asian Excellence Award 2007 Outstanding Independent Film Won [14]
Asian Festival of First Films 2006 Best Director Won [15]
Best Producer Lam Nguyen Won
Boulder International Film Festival 2006 Best Feature Film Ham Tran Won [16]
CAAMFest 2006 Audience Award, Narrative Won [17]
Milan Film Festival 2006 Best Photography Julie Kirkwood & Guillermo Rosas Won [18]
Newport Beach Film Festival 2006 Best Actor Long Nguyen Won [19]
Princess Grace Foundation 2006 Special Project Grant Ham Tran Won [20]
San Diego Asian Film Festival 2006 Grand Jury Prize Won [21]
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival 2006 Audience Award Won [22]
Vietnamese International Film Festival 2007 Best Feature Won [23]

Controversies

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The OC Weekly, an alternative weekly in Orange County, California, published two reviews of the film. The first and longer review was written by R. Scott Moxley, praised the director for "bring[ing] to life the true South Vietnamese experience".[24] The second and much shorter review was published almost a year later, written by Scott Foundas. In his review, Foundas praised the film for being "one of the few movies to depict Vietnam and its aftermath through the eyes of the Vietnamese" but ultimately characterized it as "old-fashioned and even phony".[25] This conclusion brought a flurry of letters to the paper, most disagreeing with Foundas and taking offense at his "phony" characterization,[26][27] prompting Foundas to clarify his review, claiming that he was "by no means suggesting that the history depicted by the movie didn't happen, but rather that matters were not nearly as black-and-white as Mr. Tran makes them seem".[28]

Following the negative ratings above, in Vietnam, where the film was neither filmed nor shown officially, unlicensed copies were so prevalent that the government issued orders to confiscate all DVD copies.[29] The film was banned for its "reactionary" content. The government consider the film "defamation" and a "distortion" of its policy of sending people to re-education camps after 1975. The film was considered such a threat that the Ministry of Public Security's newspaper Công an Nhân dân featured an article warning about the "poisonous film" and claiming that "most overseas Vietnamese are indifferent or critical of this movie".[30] The article also quoted Foundas and several random people in online message boards to bolster its claim.[31]

Release

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The film is distributed by ImaginAsian Pictures, and released in Orange County, New York City, and San Jose on March 23, 2007, to sold-out screenings.

Since its opening weekend on March 23, 2007, it has expanded to Dallas, Houston, Washington, DC, San Diego, Chicago, San Francisco, Mountain View, Daly City, Seattle, Berkeley, Honolulu, Atlanta, Portland, Sacramento, Vancouver, and is expanding to other cities throughout the summer in what is called a "rolling release".

Box office performance

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In the opening weekend, it played in packed theaters, generating $87,442 on just four screens, giving the film the largest per theater average for that weekend ($21,861).[32]

As of July 16, the film has grossed over $630,000, despite a limited release that never exceeded fourteen theaters at a time.[33]

Home media release

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The 2-disc DVD was released on October 31, 2007, which includes a 38-minute The Making of Journey from the Fall, a 135-minute roundtable discussion/commentary with cast and crew, a deleted scene and alternate ending, as well as original theatrical trailer and TV spots.

A Blu-ray version of the film was released on July 9, 2024 by Whole Grain Pictures.[34]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Journey From the Fall". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  2. ^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (March 22, 2007). "Surviving in the Aftermath of Vietnam". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  3. ^ Thomas, Kevin (March 23, 2007). "'Journey From the Fall' - Movie Review". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 6, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Newman, Bruce (March 22, 2007). "Vietnam family's tale will break your heart". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  5. ^ Edwards, Russell (October 18, 2005). "Journey from the Fall". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Movie - Journey From the Fall". New York. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  7. ^ White, Bill (April 19, 2007). "This 'Journey' doesn't know where it's going". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Thanh Nguyên (March 20, 2007). "Sáu năm cho một cuốn phim Vượt Sóng - Journey from the fall (Kỳ 1)". Nguoi Viet Daily News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  9. ^ Thanh Nguyên (March 20, 2007). "Sáu năm cho một cuốn phim Vượt Sóng - Journey from the Fall (Kỳ 2)". Nguoi Viet Daily News. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Ho, Howard (March 25, 2007). "The departure from Vietnam, reexperienced". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 26, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  11. ^ Mercury News (March 23, 2007). "Chung: Film connects generations in aftermath of Saigon's fall". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  12. ^ Cajueiro, Marcelo (November 17, 2006). "Amazonas kudo flows to 'Journey'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  13. ^ "AIFF: Anchorage International Film Festival". Anchorage International Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  14. ^ Hollywood.com Staff. "The 2007 AZN Asian Excellence Awards Nominees". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
    "2007 Asian Excellence Awards". Asian Excellence Award. Archived from the original on June 8, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  15. ^ "Award Winners of AFFF 2006". Asian Festival of First Films. Archived from the original on December 28, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  16. ^ Smith, Kevin (January 13, 2012). "The BIFF Saga: Year Three (Feb. 15-18, 2007)". Boulder International Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  17. ^ "Award Winners Announced at Closing Night Gala!". CAAMFest. Archived from the original on June 17, 2006. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  18. ^ D. Horowitz, Lisa (April 9, 2006). "'Number' comes up at Milan fest". Variety. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  19. ^ Orange County Register (April 29, 2006). "Newport Beach Film Festival award winners". The Orange County Register. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  20. ^ "Award Winners". Princess Grace Foundation. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
    The Princess Grace Foundation-USA (PGF-USA) (March 12, 2012). "Princess Grace Foundation-USA Announces New Film Initiative with the Ford Foundation's JustFilms Program". PR Newswire. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  21. ^ "Latest News". San Diego Asian Film Festival. October 25, 2006. Archived from the original on February 14, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  22. ^ "2006 Awards". Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival. Archived from the original on February 27, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  23. ^ "Awards - VAALA Presents Viet Film Fest". Vietnamese International Film Festival. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  24. ^ R. Scott Moxley (April 20, 2006). "After the War". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  25. ^ Foundas, Scott (April 2, 2007). "Journey From the Fall Review". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  26. ^ OC Weekly Staff (April 2, 2007). "Review Sparks Outcry". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  27. ^ OC Weekly Staff (April 5, 2007). "Letters". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  28. ^ OC Weekly Staff (April 2, 2007). "The Critic Responds". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  29. ^ H.LAU. - V.X. (May 17, 2007). "Một bộ phim độc hại xuất hiện trên thị trường". Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
    V.X. (May 23, 2007). "Thu hồi bộ đĩa DVD "Vượt sóng" có nội dung phản động". Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  30. ^ V.C. (May 21, 2007). ""Bước chân Việt Nam" - Một bộ phim phản động và xuyên tạc". Công An Nhân Dân (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  31. ^ Công An Nhân Dân (May 21, 2007). "Cảnh báo về một bộ phim độc hại". Việt Báo (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on March 5, 2017. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  32. ^ Mercury News (March 26, 2007). "Per screen, `Journey' has other films in U.S. beat". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  33. ^ "indieWIRE:BOT - Box Office Table for May 22". IndieWire. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  34. ^ Sevakis, Justin (2024-02-23). "New title, new storefront, new details!". wholegrainpictures.com. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
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