Duong, his son Andy, and scores of family members, friends, and powerful supporters crowded Oakland's Regal Jack London theater on Saturday to see " The King of Trash," a new documentary that chronicles how the Duongs lost everything and then rose from impoverished refugees to become the owners of an international trash and recycling empire headquartered in Oakland. The movie opens with archival footage of American soldiers and bombers spraying the Vietnamese countryside with munitions.
There's an argument to be made that " the real monster is trauma" has become an overused trope in modern horror. Hereditary, The Babadook, and, much less effectively, Smile, are just a few higher-profile examples. But, if you ask me, few films have deployed this trope quite as effectively as the 2020 film His House. The film follows Bol and Rial, refugees from South Sudan, played by Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku.
Something that often takes me by surprise is how people react to finding out I was homeless growing up. They have a picture of what homelessness should look like, and my family and I don't fit into it. But people like me hide in plain sight. They're your neighbours until suddenly they're not. They're everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.
"Vuongâs life looks like a modern American fairy tale, having risen from refugee status to becoming a celebrated poet and professor, showcasing resilience and talent."