Chau, Beyond the Lines

If you like true stories told very well, but briefly, and you'd like to get a leg up in an Oscar pool, then this review is for you! In my continuing effort to see as many Oscar nominees as possible, I took advantage of the opportunity to see the shorts.TV theatrical presentation "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2016: Documentary" (NR, 3:00 – with 10 min. intermission). Here's a brief, spoiler-free summary and evaluation of one of those five films...

"Chau, beyond on the Lines" (34 min.) – The title character is a Vietnamese teenager who was born with deformed arms and legs, leading him to live with similarly afflicted children in an "Agent Orange Camp". Chau has a passion for art and does his best to express himself in sketches and drawings despite the limited mobility in his arms and legs. His dream is to become a successful artist and clothing designer who can support himself and live on his own. In spite of those around him discouraging him, plus changing circumstances in his life, he remains determined, works at improving his skills and seeks out new avenues to express his passion for art. This doc is an inspiring story that should help us each put our lives in perspective. It's also enlightening. Many Movie Fans will be shocked to realize that the infamous chemical that the U.S. sprayed on jungles during the Vietnam War is still affecting that country's civilian population four decades after the spraying stopped. What this film may lack in narrative heft, it more than makes up for with its effective story-telling, educational value and inspirational messages. "A-"

The other four films in the shorts.TV theatrical presentation "Oscar Nominated Short Films 2016: Documentary" are… "Body Team 12" "Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah" "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" "Last Day of Freedom" We have posted our articles about each of those other films on their respective pages on this website.

During the Vietnam War, US planes sprayed a defoliant called Agent Orange all over the Vietnamese countryside to look for North Vietnamese troops, and it caused widespread birth defects among the Vietnamese. Courtney Marsh's Academy Award-nominated "Chau, Beyond the Lines" looks at a victim of this. The protagonist is a boy in what is called an Agent Orange Camp, a hospital for children with birth defects. Although the documentary focuses mainly on this one boy, it shows that every child in the hospital has deformities of some sort. The protagonist spends much of his free time drawing pictures, but he can't ignore the most prominent thing about him.

The documentary serves as a stark reminder that while the Vietnamese defeated the US in 1975, the war's aftereffects remain with them to this day. It was only in the 21st century that the US even started talking with Vietnam about helping clean up the residual Agent Orange in the countryside.

Anyway, definitely watch the documentary. You can find it on Vimeo.

Most of this film is set in a residential program for severely disabled children whose parents mothers were exposed to Agent Orange. Apparently decades after the end of the Vietnam War, children are continuing to be born with horrendous problems--such as missing limbs, twisted and stunted limbs, facial anomalies and the like. All of the residents appear severely disabled and the filmmakers focus in particular on a teenager named Chau. Eventually, Chau leaves the program and briefly returns home to live with his family. But with nothing productive to do with himself, eventually he moves to the city and inexplicably learns to make a living as an artist despite his very extreme physical challenges. While it's disturbing to see such disfigured kids, it's also an uplifting film at times due to Chau's spirit and unwillingness to give up. Not an easy film to watch but among the easier films to watch from this year's selection of Oscar nominees.

UPDATE: "A Girl in the River" took the Oscar for Best Documentary Short.

There is so much more to War Within the Walls than just the tale of a boy trying to achieve his dreams, all the while having a disability. It's a story of hope in a world plagued with afflictions. But there is an antagonist to this story, and his name is Agent Orange.

People talk about the "lingering" effects of Agent Orange, but it's part of these children with every breath they take. Viewers may find themselves shocked by how affected these kids are decades after the use of this chemical.

Beyond the hope of Chau, our protagonist, the film also focuses on the bleak future these kids face as well as the strange world they already live in. There is a sense of camaraderie among these kids growing up together, but that doesn't necessarily they always get along.

The film has many tender and poignant moments, all the while brimming with brutal truths. The camera has a tendency to linger for all the right reasons. It'll knock you for a loop, but in the end, you'll be glad you watched it.