I have been attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for many (25?) years and I always try to see a French Canadian film there. I don't remember ever being disappointed. From the earlier ones like Jesus of Montreal and the Barabarian Invasions to the more recent Antigone, The Intern, The Coyote, Une Revision or The Fall of the American Empire - French Canadian cinema has produced numerous remarkable films. (Unfortunately, many of these films are not known to the public at large. I guess, French Canadians are good at making films, not advertising them.)
Ru, is no exception. A beautiful, heart warming film based on a book (that was published in 45 counties, if I remember correctly)
It is the story of a family of Vietnamese refugees, but also the story of the generous Canadians that welcomed them and tried to help them adapt to a new country, a new culture.
The connection between the refugees and their "sponsors" - the latter understanding and generous, the former grateful and determined to fit in and succeed - shows, in my view exactly what Canada is all about.
The direction is masterful, the film is, in my view, flawless. (No wonder; at the Q&A after the film with the director and the producers, we were told that the film was the product of quite a few years of thoughtful preparation.)
It is a film that stirred many emotions - in me and surely in other immigrants.
