The article narrates a daughter's endeavor to create a documentary about her parents, Vietnam War refugees who were extras in Apocalypse Now. While her mother engages easily, her father's participation is strained due to their complex relationship, marked by past conflict and communication barriers. The daughter aims to shift the narrative focus to her parents' experiences, highlighting the stories of Vietnamese individuals marginalized in the filmmaking process. Ultimately, the project reflects on identity, the challenges of intergenerational dialogue, and whose stories we choose to tell.
From what we knew, no video-documented first-person accounts by extras from the set of Apocalypse Now existed. We were trying to include stories of Vietnamese people who were set on the margins by this film.
I was nervous about my father's participation, though. While he was also open about his life, our relationship was strained... our relationship was still recovering after my father said he'd disown me for a third time.
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