NY Times columnist at UW
'Regret to Inform'‘Regret to Inform’ not regrettable at
It’s a rare occasion when one can learn something and have fun, and support a good cause at the same time. But that’s what I found myself doing the evening of Sunday, Oct. 12.
The Nippon Kan theater in Seattle’s International District held a screening of “Regret to Inform,” a documentary about the effects of the Vietnam War. The film was unique in that it showcased women’s perspectives on peace and war, focusing on widows of soldiers who had died in or as result of Vietnam.
The producer, director and writer of the film, Barbara Sonneborn, is an American woman whose husband, an American G.I., was killed in combat in Vietnam. Sonneborn set out to create the film in order to hear stories of other widows like her. The film included a mix of women — American and Vietnamese — who had lost their husbands. Though the women all had different experiences, their sense of loss was something they all shared.
One Vietnamese woman, Dr. Nguyen Thi My Hien, felt helpless.
“The bomb dropped on top of the house, trapping my husband in the shelter,” she said. “After the bombing, the people on the ground heard his cries for help. But the debris was so heavy it took hours to reach him, and he was already dead. And to think, as a doctor I saved so many lives, but I couldn’t save his…”
Another Vietnamese woman, Xuan Ngoc Nguyen, served as an interpreter for the film, as well as one of the film’s primary interviewees. She grew up in Vietnam with bombs and gunfire as the backdrop for much of her life. Her husband was killed, leaving her a single parent during war-torn times at a young age.
“I was 14 at the time, and that’s when the war actually (touched) my life, the bombs were dropping in my house,” she recalled. “I was confused: why are they burning down my house, my neighbor’s house? Then everything from then on, nothing was black or white, it was all gray, just like the smoke.”
But she was able to get out. A self-taught designer and seamstress, Nguyen fled to America and started a business in Eugene, Ore., creating wedding dresses. On one annual trip back to Vietnam, Nguyen saw the Vietnamese economy growing stronger, yet a greater number of girls were entering the sex industry. She wanted to help them get out of the destructive business, and an idea was formed. With her sewing skills, she helped to create a school for these girls, which also teaches basic computer and English communication skills. With these marketable skills, many of these girls can possibly ahead with a productive job, if not start businesses of their own. The school is known as the New Day Project.
The showing of “Regret to Inform” last Sunday was a fundraiser for the New Day Project. Nguyen and her partner, Ed Reiman, co-founders, were on hand to answer questions about the film and the school. The suggested $10 donation for entry, plus money collected from raffle ticket sales, went directly to help finance the development of the school, and those who attended were invited to give more to the project as well.
If you are interested in viewing “Regret to Inform,” it is widely available at many video stores and library systems, including Seattle Public and King County libraries. Signed copies are also available for purchase at www.thenewdayproject.org.
For more information on the film, go to www.regrettoinform.org.