Beautiful Country Review
by Steve Rhodes (Steve DOT Rhodes AT InternetReviews DOT com)July 21st, 2005
THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY is a beautiful movie, lovingly crafted, perhaps too much so by Hans Petter Moland. Never in any hurry whatsoever, the movie relates a long and episodic tale about Binh, a young Vietnamese man who makes a difficult journey to find his G.I. father in Houston. The story, set in 1990, follows Binh's struggles. Since he doesn't have the money or connections to get into the U.S. legally, Binh goes from one perilous situation to another, as he tries to sneak his way out of Vietnam and into America. One of the most obvious problems with the movie is that Damien Nguyen, who gives a hauntingly beautiful performance as Binh, speaks English with a nearly perfect American accent.
First Binh goes to locate his mother, whom he had lost track of, in Vietnam. Although the loud speakers proclaim the advancement of Ho Chi Minh's version of communism, Binh finds his mother working as an abused servant for a wealthy family that is a hellacious version of "Upstairs Downstairs." From there Binh goes on to spend time in a Malaysian prison. Next he suffers the indignities of being transported in a slave ship run by an evil captain (Tim Roth). Once in New York, he works off the price of his transportation in an immigrant sweatshop. Finally, in the last section of the film, the story is all too neatly wrapped up when Binh finally tracks down his father (Nick Nolte), who abandoned Binh and his mother decades before. What could be the explanation for his father's dereliction of his family duties? The answer provided is just too convenient.
THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY runs a long 2:05. The film is in English and in Vietnamese with English subtitles. It is rated R for "some language and a crude sexual reference" and would be acceptable for kids around 12 and up.
The film is playing in nationwide release now in the United States. In the Silicon Valley, it is showing at the Camera Cinemas.
Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: [email protected]
***********************************************************************
Want free reviews and weekly movie and video recommendations via Email?
Just send me a letter with the word "subscribe" in the subject line.
More on 'Beautiful Country'...
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
