A Synopsis of the Documentary Regret to Inform Essay Example
A Synopsis of the Documentary Regret to Inform Essay Example

A Synopsis of the Documentary Regret to Inform Essay Example

Available Only on StudyHippo
  • Pages: 10 (2738 words)
  • Published: October 1, 2017
  • Type: Essay
View Entire Sample
Text preview

"Our deaths are not ours they are yours; they will mean what you make them.”—Regret to Inform "The terrible price of that nobility is one that nobody should have to pay”—Barbara Sonneborn

On her 24th birthday in 1968, Barbara Sonneborn, the director, received a telegram informing her that her husband, Jeff Gurvitz, had been killed in a mortar attack in Vietnam. The telegram included the phrase "We regret to inform you."

The renowned documentary film Regret to Inform was directed, written, and produced by Sonneborn. After losing her beloved husband, she experienced deep grief and bitterness towards war. Despite finding happiness in a new life and remarrying, she remained consumed by the loss. Two decades later, on the anniversary of her husband's death, Sonneborn chose to retrace his journey in Vietnam. Her goal was to document how the Vietnam War impacted women from both America and Vietnam. Through this project,

...

Sonneborn sought solace in revisiting the painful memory of her loss.

In 1998, the film received an Academy Award nomination and won the Independent Spirit Award in 1999. It also achieved Best Director, Best Cinematography, and Feature Documentary awards at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999. Additionally, it earned various other prestigious accolades.

The Vietnam War, known as the Second Indo-China War or the American War by Vietnamese people, commenced in 1957, escalated in 1960, and concluded in 1975. This conflict involved the North Vietnamese government and US-supported South Vietnam. Consequently, South Vietnam was defeated and dissolved.

Casualties from this war included approximately 1,230,000 reported deaths among Vietnamese individuals with an additional 330,000 missing individuals. Furthermore, there were roughly 58,209 American fatalities with approximately 2,000 Americans who went missing durin

View entire sample
Join StudyHippo to see entire essay

action but were never found.

A critic from the New York Times Magazine observed that every documentary film has an agenda, including Regret to Inform. This particular film is a damning indictment of war, specifically the Vietnam War, which it portrays as a disastrous miscalculation without explicitly stating it. Anthony McCosham also criticized films about the Vietnam War for focusing too narrowly on personal relationships and neglecting the political context and viewpoint of Vietnamese participants. However, McCosham praised Regret to Inform for presenting the women's perspective. Lindsay Anderson praised the film for revealing the personal truth about war and emphasized the importance of understanding war on a personal level. After experiencing this truth, one cannot endorse war's glory and honor or advocate for it without acknowledging its devastating cost.The commentator's critique of Regret to Inform strengthens the film's argument and emotional impact against war. It also offers genuine advice to those who have firsthand experience of war, emphasizing that only those who have truly lived through it can fully comprehend its destructive consequences. Sonneborn's documentary, Regret to Inform, effectively opposes war by sharing the personal narratives and sorrow of women from opposing sides of the conflict.

"Regret to Inform" offers a feminist perspective on the Vietnam War, unlike many other war films. The film utilizes interviews, letters home, Jeff's notification and reflection, music, and historical portraits to persuade viewers to reevaluate their support of war. Sonneborn begins the film by introducing herself and explaining her motive for traveling to Vietnam: she wants to uncover the truth about her husband's death. Along her journey, she conducts interviews with numerous war widows who were impacted by the war and

share similar experiences. These interviews are vital as they present heart-wrenching stories that compel audiences to reconsider their views on war. Xuan Ngoc, an interviewee who was just 14 years old during the bombing of her South Vietnamese village, provides a particularly poignant account as a war victim and the director's translator.

Witnessing the death of her 5-year-old cousin at the hands of an American soldier, as he emerged from their hiding spot in search of water, was just one of the horrors she experienced during the war. Another tragedy she observed helplessly was her neighbor's death. To survive, she had no choice but to take food from her injured girlfriend. The atrocities of war pushed her to make crucial life and death choices. As she recounted these agonizing memories on screen, emotions overwhelmed her and tears streamed down her face.

During the interview, the speaker recounted her experience of escaping from her village and becoming a prostitute for American soldiers. She mentioned engaging with multiple soldiers in one night and described instances of them shouting at her, crying in front of her, or physically abusing her. It was emphasized that she was only 14 years old at the time and explained the difficult circumstances that led to this choice.

The director opted not to use simulations or dramatic storytelling but conducted interviews from a female perspective. The aim was to highlight the physical and emotional suffering endured by war widows. Xuan Ngoc's facial expressions and statements clearly show that these memories continue to haunt her even after the war ended.

Xuan Ngoc openly confessed to turning to prostitution and using drugs, particularly marijuana, as a means of survival.

She stressed how Asian culture discourages premarital sexual activity among women due to its conservative nature.

Hence, Xuan Ngoc found herself in both physical pain and moral dilemmas. Furthermore, she had to make the difficult decision of who should live and who should die, contradicting her own moral beliefs as she desired to survive. Xuan Ngoc questions why we allowed such circumstances to happen and why we didn't make efforts to prevent it. Through this, the audience witnesses the interviewee's emotional and psychological distress.

Xuan Ngoc's expression challenges the audience to reconsider their support of the war. In a separate interview, an American widow reveals that her husband left a note expressing his love for her but could not bear the flashbacks anymore, leading him to tragically take his own life in the garage after returning from the war. Sadly, during another interview, a Vietnamese widow recounts witnessing nine members of her family being herded out and killed, sharing a heart-wrenching story. Multiple Vietnamese women also share their experiences of living in fear of rape during the war, causing them to hide and avoid danger. Another Vietnamese woman grimly states, "Survival meant being dead. Anything in motion was murdered." These accounts shed light on the brutal treatment suffered by both men and women at the hands of South Vietnamese and American soldiers.

Both sets of children asked their mothers why their fathers hadn't come home yet. This caused the widows to express their feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness towards the war. Both groups of widows were given an equal chance to voice their thoughts and emotions about the war. Even after the war, many widows still suffer from

its effects. Several movies have tried to delve into the Vietnam War, although most were made for marketing purposes as they were exciting and captivating.

Although they are fiction, the film "Regret to Inform" does not depict any heroic deeds or acknowledge soldiers' bravery. Instead, it focuses solely on the heartbreaking experiences of widows. Despite women's limited involvement in the battlefield, those who lost their families or suffered during the war were equally impacted by it as men. Xuan Ngoc ultimately recognizes her own goodness, acknowledging that if given another option, she would have acted differently.

By presenting statements and recollections, the film reveals the truth about the war, offering audiences a different perspective that can induce resistance against it. As Gadamer suggests, language serves as a universal means for understanding, particularly through interpretation. Through interviews, widows provide descriptions of truth that help audiences interpret the war. By openly depicting their own wounds, the widows enable the audience to better comprehend how the war compels individuals to act in ways they typically would not. Consequently, their narratives serve to preserve crucial memories of the war.

"Truth" is always more elusive than we perceive. When witnessing the struggles of the widows, an objective audience would acknowledge that the war inflicted deep grief upon both Americans and Vietnamese. Within the film, certain American widows questioned the validity of the war, unable to comprehend its necessity since those it claimed did not pose a threat to their nation. These individuals also proclaimed that they do not view their husbands as murderers, but rather as victims of an act of murder that must be acknowledged for what it truly is. Prompted by

this questioning of justification, viewers would ponder over whether the war can be deemed justifiable. In fact, through these revelations, the audience would come to understand that the war is an unauthorized endeavor as it merely claims innocent lives, generates immense suffering, and tests the boundaries of human morality.

The viewers would be deeply moved and feel sympathy for the victims when they discover that an American widows and the director were able to listen, interview, and genuinely record the voice of Vietnamese widows without treating them as enemies. Sonneborn effectively reports the dilemmas faced by both sides, using these interviews to immerse the audience in forgotten history and provide a new understanding of the psychological impact on war victims. The interviews also enhance the film's credibility, validity, and persuasiveness. In addition to the interviews, Sonneborn uses various scenes as evidence to argue and expose the influence of war. These scenes include letters sent home from both sides, Sonneborn's spouse's notification, and a tape recording of Jeff's voice revealing the brutality of war. Communication between husbands and wives was primarily through mail due to the war, which served as a way to determine if they were still alive. Sonneborn presents these letters in poignant scenes in the film that express love and longing for family members with phrases like "I love you" or "I miss you."

These letters were written in Vietnamese and English, illustrating that despite differences in race and cultural background, Americans and Vietnamese shared the same sufferings and grief. Both sides' victims had deep love for their husbands and families, with no difference in this love between them. The director also included her husband's

notification in the film, showing where gunfire entered Jeff's body. This scene allows viewers to imagine the appearance and emotions when a loved one is killed in war. The notification bears words like "mutilated" and "blast damage fractures," providing a concept of the price one pays when war occurs. Additionally, Sonneborn plays an audio cassette recording of Jeff's own words, conveying his perspective on his own life. Despite never expecting or desiring certain experiences, Jeff felt like a bystander in his own life.

"He felt suffering towards the war because he may have been forced to do things against his will, such as burying dead bodies or killing people. This scene portrayed Jeff's testimony alongside the Vietnamese landscape, where he expressed his feelings to Sonneborn and revealed his moral anguish. It highlighted the unexpressed emotions of soldiers. The film's various scenes offer audiences multiple perspectives on the war, while the sound effects enhance its persuasiveness and help evoke sorrowful stories and experiences. Music, being an integral element, effectively conveys and emphasizes the film's central theme. In Regret to Inform, a combination of string and percussion instruments were used to create a poignant atmosphere that allows viewers to emotionally connect. The music holds a significant role in depicting the tragic truth of the war, as composer Todd Boekelheide blended Vietnamese and Western instruments harmoniously."

8 Otherwise, the directors also employ Vietnamese folk songs and ambient noise in the film. The Vietnamese folk songs are used throughout the entire movie to convey the sorrow of losing loved ones. Additionally, the director incorporates ambient noise, such as the sounds of trains and Vietnamese women conversing, to immerse the audience in

the experience and make them feel as if they are traveling alongside the director. The soundtrack also features string instruments, specifically the viola and cello, which produce a wide range of sounds with passionate vibrato and glissando. For example, when the women reminisce about their initial encounters with their husbands, the cellos perform a dance-like duet that captures their joyful moments together through repetitive and simple melodies. Conversely, when the women recall the painful memories of war, the instrumentation changes. At this point, the gong is introduced to signify the tragedy.

The inclusion of historical photographs and a powerful musical track featuring traditional Vietnamese songs enhances the emotional impact of the movie, evoking a sense of catastrophe. This allows viewers to deeply connect with the widow's pain and grief, even after the film ends. Sonneborn effectively utilizes music to persuade and also enables the audience to decipher various messages embedded within the film. Additionally, the musical track creates an immersive experience, enabling people to empathize with the victims and engage with their haunting memories.

Sonneborn incorporates numerous harrowing and historical portraits in order to depict the true nature of war. A variety of images were showcased, including photographs capturing the lifeless bodies of young children, American soldiers engaged in the pursuit of innocent civilians, and U.S. troops dropping bombs from airplanes. Furthermore, Sonneborn also features multiple photographs depicting American soldiers spraying chemical defoliants in South Vietnam. The consequences of this action persistently alter the landscape, lead to the emergence of diseases and birth defects, and contaminate the food chain in Vietnam. The abusive utilization of defoliants not only inflicted harm upon Vietnamese civilians but also

had detrimental effects on American soldiers. One widow revealed that her husband endured seven years of suffering and experienced a deteriorating state of health as a result.

Eventually, he succumbed to multiple cancers upon his return from the war. Furthermore, numerous distressing images depicted vulnerable, bloodied, and weeping children. The photographs portrayed innocent children sitting on the ground with defenseless eyes, some injured and bleeding while others were being cradled by Vietnamese women or soldiers. Overall, the pictures predominantly showcased children and women as the primary victims.

Photos of U.S. soldiers tossing bombs from airplanes and the quantity of bombs are not only shocking, but they also highlight the devastating consequences. The use of bombs results in significant loss of life, causing harm to numerous innocent individuals. The presentation of these photographs in both black and white and color emphasizes the distressing nature of war, which is unimaginable for the audience. However, it is also a powerful method to evoke deep sympathy for the children and women affected. These pictures are accompanied by music, turning them into a visual language that allows the audience to understand and interpret the impact of war.

By showcasing portraits of war victims, Sonneborn effectively conveys the hardships and heartaches endured as a consequence of the war. Through various techniques such as interviews, letters home, Jeff's notification, Jeff's reflection, music, and historical photographs, the filmmaker compels the audience to believe in her antiwar message and take action based on that belief. This documentary examines the brutal reality of war, sheds light on the struggles of widows, and illustrates how the war permanently alters the lives of those affected. While the director does not

explicitly express antiwar sentiments in the film, viewers can still discern a metaphorical representation of the negative emotions associated with war. Significantly, the film does not single out specific policymakers as responsible for the conflict; instead, it poses thought-provoking questions that frame the war as a result of policies rooted in inhuman and callous ideologies. Ultimately, the film leaves us pondering why people choose to engage in a war that only brings anguish.

The film captivates and encourages individuals to respond to the war concept presented in a powerful manner. According to Baker, it is crucial to listen attentively to those who have been both victims and perpetrators of the war in order to gain genuine knowledge about this conflict, the human spirit, and ourselves. By incorporating factual interviews, personal narratives and memories, evidence, sorrowful music, and stunning historical photographs, the film effectively communicates the devastating pain experienced by widows and challenges the perspectives of war supporters. Yet, it serves as a valuable lesson to those who backed the war—there are no winners in war. This documentary does not take sides; instead, it offers a comprehensive view.

This documentary emphasizes that war is the true adversary, imploring individuals to listen to the wisdom of those who have perished and strive to end a conflict that inflicts immeasurable harm.

Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New