It is difficult to classify this film, but “experimental documentary” seems the most fitting. Trihn Mihn-ha, a Vietnamese-American theorist, professor, and academic, explores the identity of Vietnamese women in this very interesting assemblage. The film is mostly composed of interviews which are re-enacted by Vietnamese-American actresses along with archival footage, stills, and traditional music. The experience of watching this film is very unusualand almost frustrating; frequently, for example, when an interviewee is speaking, her incredibly accented speech is not given subtitles, or her voice is overpowered by the somber lyrics of the music. Seeing that many of the women who are interviewed are recounting some of their most horrific memories of the Vietnam War, it is ironic that they are being (once again) overpowered, overlooked, and underestimated by the viewer. All throughout the film, the viewer who has a more “western” bias and/or consciousness is reminded of their profound, almost boundless, differences to the Vietnamese. This is made most explicit by the lack of effective translation as well as the lack of a conceivable “thread” or narrative. The film alienates both the viewer and the subject from one-another, mimicking the real-life cultural disconnection between the two groups. This film demonstrates, mocks, and submits to notions of “otherness.”
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