The Beautiful Country Movie Review 2004

In 1990, 20-year-old Binh (Nguyen) lives with poverty and discrimination in Vietnam because of his mixed ancestry: his father was an American solider. Binh's dying mother sends him on an illegal journey to the U.S. in hopes of tracking down his dad in Houston. There's an extended sequence involving a Malaysian refugee camp (with Ling as a friendly prostitute) and a trip on a freighter (captained by Roth) before the young man makes it to the States and finally meets his dad (Nolte). Earnest, gentle, and sometimes harrowing (and rather too long).

Distribution

Sony Pictures Home Video, Sony Pictures Plz., 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232, Phone: (310)244-7306, Fax: (310)280-2485, URL: http://www.spe.sony.com, Remarks: Formerly Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment

Available on DVD
Running time 137 minutes.
Originally from Norwegian, United States.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Immigration, Asia, Asian America, Adventure Drama, Vietnam War, Road Trip, Culture Clash

Screenplay

Larry Gross, Sabina Murray

Cast

Nick Nolte, Tim Roth, Bai Ling, Temuera Morrison, Damien Nguyen, Nguyen Thi Huong Dung, Chau Thi Kim Xuan, Anh Thu, Khong Duc Thuan, Chapman To, Vu Tang, Nguyen Than Kien, Bui Ti Hong, John Hussey

Cinematography

Stuart Dryburgh

Director

Hans Petter Moland

Music

Zbigniew Preisner

Other

Kim Dalum, Wibecke Ronseth, Lynne Moon, Anne Pedersen, Karl Juliusson

Producer

Peter Borgli, Terrence Malick, Edward R. Pressman, Tomas Backstrom, Sunflower, Dinamo Story, Sony Pictures Classics, SF Norge