American Experience - Daughter from Danang (DVD, 2004)

Controversial, enlightening, and emotionally unsettling. This is what you can expect to experience and more, when you watch this extremely well-made documentary. The reunion between mother and daughter after more than 20 years of separation begins as tearfully happy and eventually becomes tearfully unsettling. The film describes how Operation Babylift was created and then shows the consequences of that socio-political program on the lives of a Vietnamese child and her estranged mother 20-plus years later. The child is adopted by a single American mother whom we soon discover emotionally abused the little girl and eventually disowned her. The Vietnamese mother has lived all those years with virtually no knowledge of her daughter. This is the backdrop for the highly charged emotional encounter that plays out in front of the viewer's eyes. It's a raw, emotional roller coaster ride for the family and viewers. I highly recommend this film to those who are willing to grapple with the strong emotions that surround the reunion of an adopted child with the birth parent. The emotions and expectations of all involved are intense. When language and cultural differences are added to such reunions, the emotional stakes become even more highly charged. These are the compelling issues that you can expect to witness and not soon forget when you watch Daughter From Danang. Unquestionably this is a must see documentary.