Review: ‘Ru’ is universal in its emotional journey

‘Ru’ tells the harrowing and heartening story of a family immigrating from Vietnam to Canada from the point of view of their young daughter.

While everyone lives unique lives, there are shared experiences that resonate with groups of people. The immigrant experience is one in which people travelling from different countries, escaping various threats, undertaking diverse risks and landing in dissimilar harbours often feel a kinship between their stories. Some people flee their homes for fear of death, while others journey to a new land in hopes of a better future for their children. Whatever the reason, the passage is frequently difficult, and adapting or assimilating may not be any easier. Ru is the tale of a 10-year-old girl and her family’s immigration to Quebec in the ‘70s.

Following the end of the war in Vietnam, many South Vietnamese were persecuted under the new Communist regime, so they fled the country in search of a new home. Minh (Jean Bui) and Nguyen (Chantal Thuy) were fortunate to know French, making their arrival in Canada slightly less complex as they could communicate with their hosts and find employment more easily — though Minh’s degree and prestigious career would no longer carry any weight. Tinh’s (Chloé Djandji) two younger brothers are able to play their worries away, but she carries all the horrors of their journey and fear for those they left behind with her.

Telling the story through Tinh’s eyes, it focuses on the concerns of a child rather than the larger, more complex worries of adults. She’s haunted by the memory of death and visibly heartbroken to have left her cousin/best friend in Vietnam. She appears understandably depressed through much of the film, in spite of the efforts of her talkative new friend who tries to make Tinh feel welcome. While the movie is filled with dialogue, Tinh says very little throughout the narrative, bottling her emotions and keeping her thoughts to herself for the most part. It’s a challenging role for such a young actress, but Djandji does it well.

The past and present are conveyed simultaneously with something often triggering a flashback. The one story shows their last days in Vietnam as the army commandeers their home, followed by the dreadful voyage in the hull of a ship to a refugee camp in complete shambles. There’s a very accomplished shot that follows the camera from 100ft below the surface up to the lifeboat, following Tinh into the overcrowded dinghy and exemplifying why Vietnamese refugees were called “boat people.” While this part of the tale is not entirely linear, their arrival in Canada begins with a plane ride after which they’re welcomed by the community and setup in an apartment. Tinh’s mother encourages her to embrace their new home, but she lacks the motivation of her parents or the buoyancy of her brothers.

Director Charles-Olivier Michaud’s adaptation of Kim Thúy’s award-winning novel takes liberties in portraying the narrative, but maintains the emotions expressed on the page. And even though it focuses on one family several decades earlier, it’s a universal immigrant story that will resonate with audiences.

Director: Charles-Olivier Michaud
Starring: Chloé Djandji, Chantal Thuy and Jean Bui