Green Dragon (2001) - Synopsis

green dragon - synopsis heading graphicCareful in his step, he walks over the bodies, one by one, unsure of the moment, confused by its time and place.
The sunlight from an open door draws him nearer, both blinding and illuminating, revealing something both familiar and unfamiliar: the American Flag.

In 1975, refugee camps were set up across the deserts of the United States to house an exodus of over 100,000 Vietnamese immigrants before and immediately after the fall of Saigon. They were considered the first wave, and would represent the beginning of a new generation of Americans.

The child, Minh Pham (Trung Hieu Nguyen), opens our eyes to this new struggle, where, like the flag, America is both familiar and unfamiliar.
Through his daily search for his mother in the vast Camp Pendleton Marine Base,
California, we are introduced to a kaleidoscope of characters, and through their eyes we witness the spirit of imagination, ambition, hope and rebirth; as well as tragedy of torn families, false expectation and lost identity.

Along the way, Minh meets Addie (Forest Whitaker), an American who volunteers as a cook at the camp. He immediately takes a liking to Minh as they share a common interest in drawings and Batman comic books.
Without verbally understanding each other, they have an unusual bond through drawings and music, and the common loss of a mother. They paint a mural together, bridging culture and history, where another America is revealed, outside of the Sears-Roebuck catalogs and shopping malls, and a spirit of innocence is formed, beyond life and death.

Tai Tran (Don Duong), Minh's uncle and a former translator for the U. S. Army, is asked by Sergeant Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze), to be a camp manager.
The war has ended, yet each has an internal battle in need of peace. Lance's brother died in
the war and left behind a letter describing the only woman he ever loved, a Vietnamese nurse who cared for him when he was wounded. Lance's journey of understanding, through both the letter and the woman, help de-flame a hidden guilt that has plagued him for years. Tai also is at war with his own personal guilt and with Lance's help, finds the strength to look forward without forgetting the past.

Uncommon stories merge to create a fabric of common struggles, desires and fears;
and like the wavering flag, and America herself, Green Dragon is both familiar and unfamiliar, and removes our blinds to illuminate.

© Silver Nitrate Releasing