Blue Bayou

Justin Chon did a great job with this one. It's not often you get a director/writer/lead actor in a movie but he did all of those and it was all very well done. The story is poignant, quite incredible that something like this is even possible in real life, but it is sadly the reality, and that in a country that wants to be the example for the rest of the world. To be honest I found this incredibly sad, and that in the land of the free, in the land of opportunities. Justin Chon is not only a good writer but he was also very convincing in his role as the American-Korean. The rest of the cast were also very good playing their respective characters, especially the young Sydney Kowalske. She played very natural, almost like she wasn't acting, and that's not given to a lot of child actors. Blue Bayou isn't a movie that will leave you with a smile, and that's good, because these kind of stories are still happening now, and a smile would just be wrong when you think about all the lives that have been destroyed.

A free preview pass and Alicia Vikander attracted me to the movies this evening. The intense acting and generally good filmcraft are strengths. The regional accents and a certain performance of the namesake song are standouts. But there are diverging subplots all over the place, detracting from the main theme. Sometimes the characters do not ring true and are otherwise too unsympathetic.

This was made expressly to champion the cause of international adoptees who become deportable because their stateside adopting parents failed to satisfy all the formalities. Their plight is akin to that of the Dreamers. The film comes just when a "fix" in the form of the proposed Adoptee Citizenship Act is pending. To get that enacted is indeed a worthy cause.

What a beautiful and poignant story. The characters are real, tugs at the heartstrings and lays bare the total lack off empathy in the modern immigration processes. The fact that it depicts real life anguish makes this film signifficant. I really hope it can pass it's message to millions and help to tear down the wall.

Instant reaction here. Was blown away by this movie. Not overly familiar with Justin Chon but his performance was exceptional and seeing he also wrote and directed this makes me excited for whatever projects he's involved with in the future. Alicia Vikander was solid as always great casting and most importantly the movie raises awareness to an issue most people were likely unaware of. Bravo!

Alicia Vikander is the biggest name of this movie by far, BUT she is not at ll the highlight here, as Justin Chon is just slashing it!

This movie shows us what is wrong with immigration politics in the USA and I knew that these cases exist, but not how common they actually are.

You will follow a heartbreaking story that will probably not leave your eyes dry. I havent seen a movie like this in a long time, where I literally could hear the majority of the people around me in the theatre cry, no matter which age, gender or race... This movie is very touching, even though at times it gets a bit "toooo much" and is slightly over the top, especially in the last wuarter of the movie.

That being said, it is still a very strong movie that tells a heartfelt story that has so much poetry between the lines, that it will make you appreciate your life and everything you have, even more, while still making you very depressed with its brutal honesty and depiction of events.

I can recommend this, especially if you are adopted yourself or are an expat of any kind in another country!