Green Dragon parents guide

Green Dragon Parent Guide

Overall B+

In the case of The Green Dragon, writer/director Timothy Linh Bui, convincingly captures what it feels like to be a refugee --because he once was one.

Release date April 23, 2004

Violence B-
Sexual Content C
Profanity C
Substance Use B

Why is Green Dragon rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Green Dragon PG-13 for some disturbing situations, nudity and language

Run Time: 115 minutes

Official Movie Site

Parent Movie Review

The best stories are those told by someone who really knows. In the case of The Green Dragon, writer/director Timothy Linh Bui, convincingly captures what it feels like to be a refugee—because he once was one.

In the closing days of the infamous Vietnam War, 100,000 displaced citizens were brought to various camps in the United States with the promised opportunity to continue their lives in a free country. As the weeks and months passed in these Quonset hut and tent cities, the attitudes of the penned-up people awaiting sponsorships evolved into an increasingly diverse spectrum. Some were eager to embrace American capitalism. Others felt they should return to fight for their country. Falling between these two extremes, the vast majority were simply afraid of trying to make a new life in a foreign land where they would ultimately be scattered across the fifty States.

For Camp Pendelton California resident Tai Tran (Don Duong), the sweet new hope is tainted by a bitter secret. Acting as a translator for the US Army because he can speak English, the quiet man is promoted to Camp Manager by Sergeant Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze). The responsibility of maintaining positive morale among the refugees weighs heavily on Tai, but the position also affords him an increased ability to help his young niece and nephew search for their missing mother.

This movie excels at depicting the struggles faced by a refugee immigrant. Diet changes, differing political views, and despair at the news of Saigon’s fall (to which a character responds by taking his life—a bloodied wrist is seen) are just a few. Another character faces the wrath of his wife when it is revealed he took a second spouse before immigrating, forcing them to meet secretly and providing two brief sensuous moments. Meanwhile, Tai must wrestle with his own dragons of guilt and grief that culminate in a scene where he lays naked and sorrowing on the cold shower room floor (seen from behind).

Green Dragon uses it’s scant $2 million budget to make us feel the unavoidable culture clash, awakening empathy for both sides. This effective drama not only portrays an angle of the Vietnam conflict not often seen, it also provides insight into the plight of refugees from any country.

Starring Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker, Doung Don. Running time: 115 minutes. Theatrical release April 23, 2004. Updated

Green Dragon Parents' Guide

This movie provides great discussion opportunities for your family or a classroom:

  • Why wouldn’t refugees always be happy to live in a prosperous new land like the United States?

  • What responsibility do developed countries have to provide protection for refugees?

  • Do you think ethnic groups are best off living together (like Little Saigon) or dispersed? Do we tend to naturally group with people with similar backgrounds/social status/religions anyway?

  • Imagine you have had to leave your home with only the clothes you are wearing to begin a new life in a foreign country. What things would concern you the most?

  • Filmmakers use a variety of techniques to trigger emotions from the audiences. Notice the different types of color in this movie - compare especially the earlier scenes to those where the young nephew makes friends with the cook. Note as well how the movie becomes more colorful and warmer as it progresses.

Home Video

Related home video titles:

Adjusting to a different culture plays a part in the following films: Dinotopia, The Other Side of Heaven, and Lilies of the Field.