Dung dot

This film is unique in its reflection of the war in Vietnam with all devastating effects on lives of people on all sides. It is not your typical black-and-white story of the good guys fighting the bad guys. It is not a Vietnamese version of Apocalypse Now, Platoon or Deer Hunter. Perhaps the nearest comparison is Oliver Stone's Heaven & Earth, except Dung Dot (Do Not Burn) does not have as much of a storyline. While watching this film one feels more like listening to a long poem, illustrated by powerful pictures of beauty and horror. It is a true story of a young Vietnamese woman, a doctor who had recorded her thoughts in the midst of the killing, not knowing if she will live to see the next day. Although there is not much of a plot, the director somehow managed to create an emotional story which flows smoothly and grips your attention until the last minute. While the Vietnamese crew did a great job, most American actors were not convincing and looked fairly stiff. This is the main reason why I gave the film 9 stars instead of 10. It must be difficult to find good American actors in Vietnam; and on a Vietnamese budget. However, even that did not spoil the overall experience. Watch the film and you will learn what it must have felt like to be a 27-year old caught in the horrors of one of the worst wars of the twentieth century.