Origin Story

I started watching this because I've heard Kulap guest on a podcast I like and she's funny. I was immediately turned off when she acts like it's weird being interviewed but she's the one who hired someone to interview her. Then later some buried rage comes out during another interview and she starts throwing stuff around and turns a chair over, that's when I started laughing. She's so enraged that she starts tearing the room up but she doesn't touch her laptop. It's hilarious. Usually a documentary about a person happens because a filmmaker finds someone and their story so compelling that they have to make a film about them. In this case Kulap thinks she and her story are so interesting that a film needs to be made about it all. Wrong.

I thought the celebrity aspect of this story would make it more interesting but it was pretty boring. I suppose if you're a fan of her work it would make it feel more personal and intriguing, but if you aren't, it sounds like a whiney, whoa is me story from a person who doesn't seem like they have much else to complain about.

This insightful and deeply moving documentary tells the story of a Lao-American woman's search for her father and her relationship with her mother. It deals with many difficult subjects like personal identity, familial relationships, the effects of the secret war on Laos, gambling addiction, and love. Really well-done and personal. I cried while watching and then kept thinking about it for days. Incredible and important.

As a long time listener of Who Charted I could not wait for this film. It premiered at the Bentonville film festival and it blew me away. Both as a fan of Kulap Vilaysack and as a filmmaker. Incredible story. Incredible film.

I've been following Kulap's career for years and I've been waiting for this movie to come out for quite some time...it did not disappoint. It was such an emotional rollercoaster. Beautifully told and beautifully honest. Thank you for sharing your story with us. We love you, Ku!