The Donut King

Beautifully crafted, emotionally engaging, and filled in some of the blanks with my Cambodia in the 70s history. An Excellent Insight into an overlooked community. Powerful film that is certainly worth the 1.5 hour investment.

This documentary was a strong study of U S. immigration story via a biography of Ted Ngoy, inventor of the "pink" bakery boxes and his wife Christy. This documentary has very strong visual material on refugees stories from Cambodia to California.

Especially news clips of the first Ladies (Ford/Carter adminstrations) and the economic plight of one Cambodian family exceedingly achieving an American dream. Similar to so many stories of non-White US families.

Where one family serves as a host for another entering refugee families. Who later usually repay their hosts with endless hours of labor, but in the end learn new job skills, that they go off to do their own enterprises... the American dream.

In this case, it's the American pastry invention of the donuts if the pot of gold. Within a micro economic perspective, the film turns into a study of Southern Californian donut industry. It clearly shows on how the Ngoy family was a very influential force.

Then the film's how what usually happen with some immigrant families's mismanagement of funds. In this case, addictions play a role. But it also how much Ngoy supported Cambodian refugees and also it cultural community with his own funds.

Then there always a continuation of contradictions, where as Ngoy's presence as a financial backer to conservative Californian politics, like Pete Wilson.

Wilson was notorious advocate of anti immigration, with the 187 proposition. What would the "donut King" be supportive of then types of politicians, go figure.

If you think this is about donuts, it is only half a story. Actually, it is more about life. Throughout all the ups and downs, there is peace in the end.

Most Asian people do not feel comfortable to wash their dirty laundry in front of others. This one indeed did that and even dug deeper. There are not many movies about Asian Americans' struggle and trimphone, This one has a well planted storyline and contents. To the end, I did not feel sorry for the donut king. He found peace in life and moved on. Life is the process itself. Most of time, we are too eager to get to the final and forget to enjoy the scenery on the way.

It is a nice film to watch without pretenses. I would recommend.

"The Donut King" is a film which explains how and why nearly all the donut stores on much of the US West Coast are owned by very hardworking Cambodian-Americans. It follows 'Uncle Ted' Ngoy from his fleeing Cambodia with his family to destitution to riches to, ultimately, poverty once again. Much of it is quite inspiring...though the second half of the film is a bit less enjoyable because this rags to riches story, at least for Ngoy, was shortlived.

As I mentioned above, this fascinating and inspiring documentary is like two films in one. The first is the inspiring part...how a man with nothing, through hard work and an entreprenurial spirit was able to sponsor other Cambodians and help them own their own donut shops. But the second, which seems to come out of the blue, is that Ngoy developed a gambling addiction and threw it all away. Fortunately, at this point the film discusses the other Cambodian success stories. I really wish the film had either focused only on the donut shops OR the gambling addiction, because the gambling portion seemed to come and go too quickly. Plus, while most of the film focused on Ngoy, it told VERY little about Ngoy post bankruptcy...leaving MANY questions. Still despite this, it IS worth seeing and is a good film.

As this well-paced and engaging makes clear, there are a great variety of donuts. That said the quintessential donut is an item defined by its absence, and that emptiness is precisely located at the center of it.

You can glaze it, cover it with sprinkles but still the hole remains.

Perhaps a touch too philosophical for this film?, Then again consider the Donut King, and how heavy his doughy crown weighs upon him after watching this.

As I get older it sure is hard to separate the sweet and the sour. This film packs in a lot of heartache within an overall optimistic outlook, no small feat considering the impetus for the Cambodian donut diaspora. 4 million out of 7 million.

The scenes (animated but nonetheless harrowing) of the separation of families paired with the graceful grit of Chuong Pek Lee were part of this assorted box of tales, including several forays into freakonomic flavors (the corporate interviews were so wonderfully out of place with the Mom and Pop shop shots). Pink box supply chain moves, instagram flash mobs, Midas touches, one-armed bandits, child labor, a blood-oath bond broken and more.

Savor the flavor, but respect the holes in history and your own soul as well.