Bad Axe

A movie about what it means to "truly" love.... Wow. As intimate as you can get - so well done.... What a gift.... Thank you dear family for being who you are for our benefit - you define hope.

I loved seeing the family's story unfold in front of the camera. It was an important story to tell in an important time in history. I wish everyone could watch this movie!! Bad Axe was a poignant reflection on how the pandemic affected this family in a unique way, but at the same time there were families across the country experiencing the trials and tribulations in their own way. It shows the humanity of the whole situation and hopefully will open the eyes of people that might not have the same views, but will be willing to be open to a conversation. Once again, I feel as if this movie is a must see for all!

My wife and I saw this yesterday at the Traverse City Film Festival (TCFF). We live in rural Michigan on the other side of the state from Bad Axe but our little town could be theirs (except we don't have a Walmart, thank God.) But the sentiment of many in Bad Axe is pretty much the same as our town.

As a member of the Cambodian-Mexican family that director & cinematographer David Siev is documenting, he lovingly shot this intimate story of the travails of his family during the COVID years in an area that suspected Asian families, especially those that were public about their sympathies. Family members were shown including their flaws and moments of anger and despair. I think this was a very honest film.

And how wonderful it was to see the entire family at the TCFF showing. It is impressive that their restaurant /bar (which so struggled during the quarantine) is doing better than ever and is embraced by most in their community. David has returned the love. (And you gotta love how feisty David's sister, Jaclyn, is throughout the difficult times for all of them.)

The film is a very honest and raw portrayal of a multi-ethnic family trying to keep their rural Michigan restaurant alive during the 2020 pandemic. It is at times humorous, sad, tense, and tear-jerking as we follow the Siev family through the Covid crisis, BLM protests, and the 2020 election. Chun Siev, the father of the clan, butts heads with his oldest child, Jacklyn, who is just as stubborn and hard-headed as her father.

Though at times the film feels that it may turn preachy and political, the filmmakers do a great job keeping the tone of the film fairly level, and the events seen on screen speak for themselves. My only slight complaint is the film began to spin its wheels in the third act, but the eventual conclusion leaves you heart-warmed and feeling patriotic.

I hope this film gets wide enough release to get noticed - if it's not one of the Oscar-nominated documentaries at the end of the year, I'll be disappointed.

Full disclosure: I grew up about 20 minutes from the town of Bad Axe, so I was very familiar with the area depicted in the film. I can say it was a very fair-handed treatment of the county.

For anyone who appreciates the struggle and achievement of the American dream, this excellent documentary resonates. In the backdrop of the pandemic, Black Lives Matter movement, anti-Asian racism, neo-Nazis, and anti-masking, there is a heartfelt and revealing story of a Cambodian-Mexican-American family who emerged from extremely humble beginnings in America to become a vital part of the small town of Bad Axe. The film reminds me of the consistent question it presents which is, "How do we become better people?" When the next crisis happens, we will again witness as the director has in this film that there are people who will rise to do better and be better as well as people who are unwilling to value anybody who is not white. Called a "love letter", the film is really to me a love lesson in teaching the values of communication and self-reflection when we look at what we're doing to each other. Highly recommend.