Rebecca St. James

This documentary is a portrait of a community left behind: from the daily life of refugees as they cook, salvage their fires from the rain and shower under gutters, to its absurdity as they wait long hours outside Thai army headquarters to register in a census that only guarantees their expulsion.In the intimacy of their homes, Vietnam War Hmong veterans present their personal mementos and tales of their guerrilla days, and share harrowing stories of persecution and rape at the hands of the Lao Army.Alongside the refugees, aid workers from IRC and MSF attempt to protect the Hmong community from the cold, rain and disease. The village mayor oscillates between his official duties and his compassion for thepopulation. A police officer presents the scripted policy of the Thai government, as he understands it. These stories are sometimes told with sadness, often with humor and, despite insurmountable odds, always with hope. The film culminates in sorrow, as family and friends gather to bury a little girl who died of water contamination. As they sing psalms, share stories and food at thefuneral, the little girl's death is a final expression of the tragedy and absurdity of the entire community's plight.Without the intermediary of a commentary track, the participants express themselves in their own words and actions. This fly-on-the-wall approach makes this documentary more than a factual presentation of the refugees' situation. It's an intimate portrait, a slice of life that, in the course of 20 minutes, expresses the emotional depth of the refugees' plight.

This documentary is a portrait of a community left behind: from the daily life of refugees as they cook, salvage their fires from the rain and shower under gutters, to its absurdity as they wait long hours outside Thai army headquarters to register in a census that only guarantees their expulsion.In the intimacy of their homes, Vietnam War Hmong veterans present their personal mementos and tales of their guerrilla days, and share harrowing stories of persecution and rape at the hands of the Lao Army.Alongside the refugees, aid workers from IRC and MSF attempt to protect the Hmong community from the cold, rain and disease. The village mayor oscillates between his official duties and his compassion for thepopulation. A police officer presents the scripted policy of the Thai government, as he understands it. These stories are sometimes told with sadness, often with humor and, despite insurmountable odds, always with hope. The film culminates in sorrow, as family and friends gather to bury a little girl who died of water contamination. As they sing psalms, share stories and food at thefuneral, the little girl's death is a final expression of the tragedy and absurdity of the entire community's plight.Without the intermediary of a commentary track, the participants express themselves in their own words and actions. This fly-on-the-wall approach makes this documentary more than a factual presentation of the refugees' situation. It's an intimate portrait, a slice of life that, in the course of 20 minutes, expresses the emotional depth of the refugees' plight.