Bad Axe

I saw Bad Axe in Bad Axe. The movie is honest and accurate. The events portrayed happened exactly as shown.

The film is about an Asian-American family that owns and operates a restaurant in Bad Axe. Through the film they fight to keep their business alive in the face of the pandemic and the upheaval of the 2020 elections. It is a beautiful movie about a difficult period in history.

Go see it!

First off, you must see this movie as I won't give any spoilers!

As a father who brought his 17-year old daughter to this movie, I was able to place myself in the shoes of the Patriarch who had escaped Cambodia as a child. This movie takes you in, builds the tension, and explodes with emotion both bad and good. The ending ties the movie together, and then you realize that this is not an ending, but rather, just the beginning!

I don't see how any parent could go to this movie and not be moved by the individual struggles of the family members and their extremely supportive friends and employees (they own a restaurant) regardless of your ethnicity.

I had a chance to meet the family and give the father a big hug as it left me thinking one very important word: Genuine.

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!

A brilliant piece of family portrait! So close to heart and intimate. Yet it makes you reflect on the larger society we live in.

The director points the camera to his own family which is one of the most loving family you will ever see and at the same time they go through small crises themselves as well. In a small town in the Midwest, running a restaurant, they are both the traditional family and unique in their own way.

I can not recommend this beautiful movie enough to everyone. I just can not believe this movie did not get an Oscar nomination because it absolutely deserves it! I can't wait to see what the brilliant team behind this film is going to do next.

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.)