Kim Thúy’s Governor-General Award-winning novel was inspired by her own experience as Vietnamese child who fled the country in 1975 and came to Canada as a ten-year-old with her family, the so-called “Boat People”. The book is lyrical, reflective, weaving between countries and time-zones with a delicate touch, and the movie follows suit, evoking Tinh’s wonderment, trauma and relief as she encounters her first Canadian winter, a new cuisine and lifestyle, and gradually ventures out of her self-protective shell. Warmly nostalgic, it’s also a story about attitudes towards immigration and cultural curiosity, with plenty we can surmise about how things have changed over the past 50 years.
An incredibly beautiful film about resilience and survival and a truly uplifting watch.
James Mackin, Toronto City News
Canadian director Charles-Olivier Michaud finds the warmth and humour in everything from a stepdance welcome in a community gym to the healing magic of maple taffy made on fresh snow […] Michaud chooses not to tell this story through a lot of dialogue, but rather through imagery and often achingly beautiful visual details.
Janet Smith, Stir
Tender, lovely… a love letter to Canadians.
Liza Braun, Original Cin
Charles-Olivier Michaud
Chloé Djandji, Chantal Thuy, Jean Bui, Olivier Dinh, Xavier Nguyen, Patrice Robitaille
Canada
2023
In Vietnamese and French with English subtitles
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Credits
Screenwriter
Jacques Davidts
Cinematography
Jean-François Lord
Editor
Claude Palardy
Original Music
Michel Corriveau
Production Design
Marie-Hélène Lavoie
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