Directed by Oanh-Nhi Nguyen and written by Ysabeaux Ng, in 1980s LOS ANGELES, Linh Tran, a disillusioned Vietnamese woman tasked with carrying out evictions for a landlord, comes face to face with her own humanity when she is instructed to evict Vietnamese refugees. Starring: Chantal Thuy, Jolie Eden, Paul Yen, Perry Yung, Misha Gonz-Cirkl and Ngoc Le.
With an emotionally driven story like this, keeping an air of sincerity is always important to drive home its meaning and power and part of the way that Oanh-Nhi Nguyen establishes that sincerity is through the quality of the visual. Along with the cinematography from Timothy Shin, the aesthetic holds a grain and texture that not only recreate the era but also add a gentleness and pensive quality. It matches the gradual nature of how the pacing and progression unfold, Nguyen takes her time and focuses on building an organic awkwardness and tension, rather than injecting it in a bigger way that would ultimately feel forced.
Something that was especially important with a story like this, one with a very meaningful and still very relevant tale to tell. One that captures the mix of feeling responsible but also helpless when you see others in need, and finding a way to do the right thing and stand up to injustice, where you are able. It asks a lot of questions about whether you can separate your work from yourself when it’s negatively impacting people, especially vulnerable communities, or if you have to take ownership of the part you’re playing in it.
Chantal Thuy captures that conflict well with her performance as Linh. She keeps it relatively subtle, making a great effort to match the tone of Little Bird overall, continuing that humble atmosphere. Thuy creates a relatable, sympathetic character, it’s easy to feel her struggle and how she feels connected to the tenants. Jolie Eden as Thuy is very sweet and friendly but still holds a quiet and reserved quality, as a child dealing with a lot of emotional baggage. She brings an interesting and charming maturity of sorts, she’s surprisingly aware for her age. Paul Yen then adds in a necessary tone of frustration and disillusionment to help solidify the key issues at the heart of the film.
Little Bird is a touching example of the importance of not ignoring injustices. As well as how we can often take for granted how much we have when others have so little. It’s a saddening reality that this story still has so much relevance today, with so many immigrants facing poor living conditions and apathetic, greedy landlords. The film has a strong, compelling aesthetic supported by moving performances and Oanh-Nhi Nguyen wraps it all in an earnest, contemplative style.
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