Directed by Kim Nguyen, which is more final, the gun or the camera? This documentary reveals the elusive connection between two families and one iconic photo: Saigon Execution. Part history, part mystery, Saigon Story confronts the family secrets left in the wake of the Vietnam War, exposing the resilience of survivors and the blurred legacy of wartime memory.
There’s a great concept behind Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom, to delve into not only the origin of the photo but the truths behind it, and the impact on the families left behind. How that one moment reverberated through generations and its effect continues today. Within that Kim Nguyen discovers a humble yet haunted family history. There are a lot of layers, a lot of sadness and struggle, and undoubtedly Nguyen also makes the effort to explore how a still image can be so profound versus video.
However, while the foundation is a good one, the execution can feel fairly messy. Saigon Story lacks a natural flow, and misses the opportunity to truly blend or intersect both sides of this story. They feel entirely separate, which is a shame, and ultimately it does become a little too much about family drama rather than the bigger picture. It gradually loses its grip on the history, and the war, and focuses too far inwards. Part of the impact of those choices is that the documentary has a lighter atmosphere than expected for being rooted around such a dark moment.
While it does struggle with the pacing and movement, the style itself is well done. Nguyen draws from the traditional documentary playbook, with one exception: adding narration from the perspective of the photo itself. It’s a very odd choice and it does not work well, it’s overly performative and fairly forced, which doesn’t fit the earnest style of the rest of the film.
Saigon Story: Two Shootings in the Forest Kingdom brings an interesting conversation to the table but it feels like the discussion was underdeveloped. The way that it moves is sporadic, it’s not truly building upon itself or weaving things together, it’s creating multiple separate stories that never fully intersect despite being inherently linked. There are good subjects and a solid foundation, but the finished product doesn’t make the most of them, missing that gripping touch and getting caught up too much in the family drama, straying away from the history.
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