The response of Daughter from Danang Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The response of Daughter from Danang - Essay Example Family reunion which we observe impresses by spontaneity and immediacy. ‘The actors’ are so much involved in the process that they create excitement which can be rarely produced by professional actors. It’s no wonder that the film won the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. The story of Heidi impresses with the pain and despair of the children torn between two cultures. Heidi feels herself miserable as he tries to find love and understanding among her birth family but what she finds is disillusionment. This disillusionment comes from the lack of understanding people who grew up in entirely different world with its own customs and visions. When Heidi’s dream to meet her family comes true, she is embarrassed and is not sure what to do. After the family reunion Heidi is greatly disappointed. We come to realize the existence of the gap which now separates Heidi and her family - the cultural gap. We see from the first scenes of meeting the emotional burden which Heidi comes to experience. While her mother is on the emotional high, Heidi is more bewildered, embarrassed and uncertain. She feels startled and tense. She sees the life with her family in another light, different from that before the reunion. Life of poverty and misery, hard toil of her mother to support other children – that’s what she sees in the real life of her family. The cultural gap which separates Americanized Heidi and her family is evident in many life situation. The tension from cultural shock comes to a climax and Heidi feels that she wants to go home as soon as possible. At the farewell party when Heidi’s brother comes to talk about financial issues directly, she feels completely disconnected from the Vietnamese family. She perceives money issue in the American way – it’s not better talked about. What Heidi expected is unconditioned love and care. Heidi is not aware of the family relations and