Event

2009-10-04c: All About Dad -- 2009 DC Asian Pacific American Film

All About Dad portrays life inside a Vietnamese American family where a traditional father attempts to dictate the lives of his four grown children by imposing his beliefs on marriage, religion, and career paths. Trying not to upset their father, the four adults keep certain aspects of their lives hidden as the eldest daughter, Linh, has a Buddhist fiance despite the family's strict Catholic upbringing, Bao reveals nothing about his personal life to either parents or siblings, Xuan keeps her passion for music a secret, and Ty, the youngest son, struggles to take his studies in biology seriously despite his passion for film. Although the family meets every night for dinner, tension and secrecy are evident as each family member withdraws further into their own world. As the father continually attempts to determine what is best for his children, the only result he attains is pushing them further away.

Set in modern California, All About Dad comments on the generation gap present among traditional Vietnamese parents and their Vietnamese American children. Exploring the different conflicts that often arise, director/writer/producer Mark Tran offers an insightful and very honest depiction of the struggles of immigrant parents, whose hopes of moving to a country to provide their children with a better future, conflicts with the individualistic American culture to which theyre accustomed. --Ann Tran

Preceded by:
Special Pho, Directed by Christina Tran