MovieChat Forums > Last Days in Vietnam (2016) Discussion > This is what a doc should be

This is what a doc should be

posted 10 years ago by russdaren
2 replies | jump to latest

This was a very well made documentary. I'd almost forgotten what the breed looked like. What with Discovery pumping out reality TV masquerading as Documentary. EG "mermaid the body found".
This Doc avoided the common disease of most, in that it had solid editing and pacing. It also appears to have spent some time in post cleaning stuff up.
I dont know how many fascinating docs I've seen with really bad audio or footage issues. (blown out highlights going green etc)
The juxtaposition of real people as they recollect the events with footage or even just photos was very effective. As was the interweaving narrative.
I was impressed and not sorry to have spent my money on this at all.

Growing up in New Orleans we had a few Vietamese refugess. Doing the math I am quite sure my best friend in grade school had to be part of the exodus depicted here.
I'm not afraid to say I got a bit overcome with emotion watching this movie, thinking about what many of these people endured. Both the Vietnamese and the American service members.

[–] accountingman 9 years ago

I agree completely with your review. I was very moved. I was in college in 1975 and just remember that the country was ready to be done with Vietnam altogether. That fact was brought out well in the film, but especially riveting was the extended time to think about what this all meant to the many Vietnamese living through these frantic days.

[–] rc-108 9 years ago

I agree also.
This was well made.. and showing from different perspectives.

difficult and heartbreaking times for a lot of people.

The doc that made me comment was Paradise Lost series...
I don't know the truth there... but the film makers had a serious agenda...
and did a very unbalanced job.