The parents are pragmatic, the young sons are rambunctious, but the tween daughter can't shake or hide the pain and sadness of the family's violent and treacherous escape from Viet Nam. This is the distinctive core of RU's telling of a story that's been told before - about (and by) a refugee family struggling with their trauma while simultaneously needing to adapt to a new life. At this film's heart is Tinh, sensitively portrayed by the young actress, Chloé Djandji, in her first role. The director's choice to cut back and forth between past and present becomes more and more effective as the family settles in to their new life in Québec and Tinh begins to confront, rather than suppress, her trauma. Beautifully shot.
6 Reviews
Meditative and poetic view of trauma and displacement and the healing power of facing it through art
dslary15 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Convincingly represents a "good" refugee experience in Canada
steiner-sam27 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
It's a Vietnamese refugee family story set in Saigon, Vietnam, and Granby, Quebec, ending in 1979. Minh (Jean Bui) and Nguyen (Chantal Thuy) are an educated, upper-middle-class Vietnamese family. Minh is a senior civil servant and Nguyen helps run a business her mother owned. They decide to flee at the war's end with their three children, Tinh (Chloé Djandji), Quôc (Olivier Dinh) and Duc (Xavier Nguyen). Their beloved siblings and cousins decide to remain in Vietnam.
The family flies to Montreal in winter 1979. Their host and sponsoring family includes Normand Girard (Patrice Robitaille), his wife, Lisette (Karine Vanasse), and their extroverted and talkative daughter, Johanne (Mali Corbeil-Gauvreau), who is near Tinh's age.
From Tinh's perspective, the film follows the struggles of employment and the relationships of the families, especially Tinh and Johanne, all mixed with flashbacks to their escape from Vietnam and time in a refugee camp. Tinh misses her cousin and is sometimes triggered by events in Canada. At the same time, she learns from grandfatherly refugees with their own stories and encouragement to look ahead.
"Ru" is emotionally engaging and convincingly represents a "good" refugee experience. The film presents no real dark sides in the Canadian context, which is its greatest limitation. The story is well told and paced, but never really ends. I don't think Tinh smiles once in the movie. Nonetheless, "Ru's" strength is its unique perspective.
The family flies to Montreal in winter 1979. Their host and sponsoring family includes Normand Girard (Patrice Robitaille), his wife, Lisette (Karine Vanasse), and their extroverted and talkative daughter, Johanne (Mali Corbeil-Gauvreau), who is near Tinh's age.
From Tinh's perspective, the film follows the struggles of employment and the relationships of the families, especially Tinh and Johanne, all mixed with flashbacks to their escape from Vietnam and time in a refugee camp. Tinh misses her cousin and is sometimes triggered by events in Canada. At the same time, she learns from grandfatherly refugees with their own stories and encouragement to look ahead.
"Ru" is emotionally engaging and convincingly represents a "good" refugee experience. The film presents no real dark sides in the Canadian context, which is its greatest limitation. The story is well told and paced, but never really ends. I don't think Tinh smiles once in the movie. Nonetheless, "Ru's" strength is its unique perspective.
Good but...
thoangbc19 April 2024
Probably this book Ru is the most popular novel about Vietnamese refugees written by a Vietnamese boat person, considering the fact that it has been published in 17 countries.
I haven't read the book but I did watch the movie. There are some points that I would like to point out:
-If Minh had been a Deputy Minister of Economy of South Vietnamese government (according to the movie subtitles), why wasn't he sent to the re-education camp when the communists took over South Vietnam?
I haven't read the book but I did watch the movie. There are some points that I would like to point out:
- About the scene "inside the escape boat". It seems like a big metal ship with very roomy space. In reality, in all the escape big ships and wooden boats, all refugees were packed like sardines. You can verify this fact by googling all photos about Vietnamese boat people.
-If Minh had been a Deputy Minister of Economy of South Vietnamese government (according to the movie subtitles), why wasn't he sent to the re-education camp when the communists took over South Vietnam?
- The whole story happened in a cold, snowy Montreal. Probably the author wanted it this way, as it told us the harsh weather the refugees had to cope with in the country of resettlement. But it doesn't do justice to Montreal though. Montreal not only has cold. Snowy winter but also warm, nice, flowery summer. So the new country was portrayed one-sidedly.
That humanity that connects us all
plupu6614 September 2023
I have been attending the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) for many (25?) years and I always try to see a French Canadian film there. I don't remember ever being disappointed. From the earlier ones like Jesus of Montreal and the Barabarian Invasions to the more recent Antigone, The Intern, The Coyote, Une Revision or The Fall of the American Empire - French Canadian cinema has produced numerous remarkable films. (Unfortunately, many of these films are not known to the public at large. I guess, French Canadians are good at making films, not advertising them.)
Ru, is no exception. A beautiful, heart warming film based on a book (that was published in 45 counties, if I remember correctly)
It is the story of a family of Vietnamese refugees, but also the story of the generous Canadians that welcomed them and tried to help them adapt to a new country, a new culture.
The connection between the refugees and their "sponsors" - the latter understanding and generous, the former grateful and determined to fit in and succeed - shows, in my view exactly what Canada is all about.
The direction is masterful, the film is, in my view, flawless. (No wonder; at the Q&A after the film with the director and the producers, we were told that the film was the product of quite a few years of thoughtful preparation.) It is a film that stirred many emotions - in me and surely in other immigrants.
The connection between the refugees and their "sponsors" - the latter understanding and generous, the former grateful and determined to fit in and succeed - shows, in my view exactly what Canada is all about.
The direction is masterful, the film is, in my view, flawless. (No wonder; at the Q&A after the film with the director and the producers, we were told that the film was the product of quite a few years of thoughtful preparation.) It is a film that stirred many emotions - in me and surely in other immigrants.
Québécois cinéma at its finest !
mxyzptlkqc15 December 2023
This film is more a poem than a movie. It traces the memories of its adolescent protagonist as they come to mind. But it is all about loss and love. It is the loss of a prosperous Vietnamese family's means and identity at the fall of Saigon, in 1975: the loss of a friend, the loss of lives through the brutality of war. It is the love this family found within a new country, in Québec: the different language, the endless winter, the loving sponsors who welcomed them. On the big screen cinema, where I watched this film, the majestic winter scenes of the Québec countryside are breathtaking.
It is Québécois cinéma at its best !
It is Québécois cinéma at its best !
Out on Crave Soon - Beautiful and Moving
christian9430 January 2024
Ru was theatrically released in Fall 2023 and should soon hit CraveTV in 2024.
I was lucky to see it in theater where director and. Writer of the book the movie is based on thanked us for seeing it in the big screen. The cinematography is stellar in many scenes.
This Quebec production shines in many ways with good acting, set design, custumes and more. This late 1970 period piece shows beautiful vibrant city and nature landscape in Canadian snowy winter. What shines even more is the source material and adpated screenplay that showcases trauma, human atrocity, adaptation, acceptance and awkard cultural exchanges. Some dialogue will reaonate long after the viewing and same goes for the imagery.
The directing and editing are fluid and make us feel the inner worlld of a caring, yet scared, confused and lost, growing teenager trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.
Many characters bring depth to the story while a few remain superficial yet crucial to the whole picture. The journey does not have a clear end. Life itself is but a journey, but it does have some key awakenings and realizations. Resilience, gratitude and humbleness in this both cruel and giving world.
The video montage near the end is very impactful as well as the music throughout. A movie about family, immigration, hospitality, life circumstances, survival and transendence.
"If you appreciate the nuances and shades of the blue sky, you appreciate life..."
I was lucky to see it in theater where director and. Writer of the book the movie is based on thanked us for seeing it in the big screen. The cinematography is stellar in many scenes.
This Quebec production shines in many ways with good acting, set design, custumes and more. This late 1970 period piece shows beautiful vibrant city and nature landscape in Canadian snowy winter. What shines even more is the source material and adpated screenplay that showcases trauma, human atrocity, adaptation, acceptance and awkard cultural exchanges. Some dialogue will reaonate long after the viewing and same goes for the imagery.
The directing and editing are fluid and make us feel the inner worlld of a caring, yet scared, confused and lost, growing teenager trying to make sense of the world and her place in it.
Many characters bring depth to the story while a few remain superficial yet crucial to the whole picture. The journey does not have a clear end. Life itself is but a journey, but it does have some key awakenings and realizations. Resilience, gratitude and humbleness in this both cruel and giving world.
The video montage near the end is very impactful as well as the music throughout. A movie about family, immigration, hospitality, life circumstances, survival and transendence.
"If you appreciate the nuances and shades of the blue sky, you appreciate life..."
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
