The story of “The Beautiful Country” is set in 1990, and perhaps that’s why it feels a little late, a little past its time. Had it been made 15 years ago, this film might have had more urgency.
The main character is Binh (Damien Nguyen), a young man living in Ho Chi Minh City, which used to be Saigon. Fathered by an American G.I., Binh is now stigmatized by his fellow Vietnamese for being of mixed race. There’s one great shot of him walking in a crowd, as he awkwardly towers above the other people.
The episodic film spends its first section in Vietnam, where a melodramatic event prompts Binh to leave the country with his much younger half-brother. He has always been curious about finding his father, who may or may not still be alive in Texas, so this is his chance.
But it’s a harrowing, epic journey. At every step, traffickers in human cargo demand money to aid the illegal immigration, and often as not renege on their promises.
A misfired boat escape lands Binh in a Malaysian refugee camp, where there is every indication that his imprisonment might be permanent. A subsequent cross-Pacific voyage in a rusty ship with dozens of hungry, sick immigrants turns out to be an even more nightmarish experience.
The film does come to America, although Binh is sidetracked to New York before he can set out for Texas. There’s something a little arbitrary about the plotting of this movie: Certain roadblocks thrown in Binh’s way simply stretch out the action, but when things have to work out, they miraculously do.
The director is Norway’s Hans Petter Moland, who made the nifty “Aberdeen” a few years ago. The movie really looks good – both Vietnam and the U.S. look like “the beautiful country” – perhaps also betraying the visually oriented influence of producer Terrence Malick.
Damien Nguyen carries the whole movie, and he performs solidly enough. Bai Ling is excellent as a pragmatic Chinese prostitute who shepherds Binh on his journey, Tim Roth and Temuera Morrison are scary as immigration traffickers, and Nick Nolte does well as a quiet American. All are in service to a thoughtful film that never quite evolves into an important one.
Damien Nguyen (left), Chau Thi Kim Xuan and Bai Ling in “The Beautiful Country.”
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