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- Welcome to Independent Lens.
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I'm Pete Schwaba, host of PBS
Wisconsin's Director's Cut.
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"What if it's the tragic moments
that bring things to light?"
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That is a quote
from tonight's film,
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the story of one
curious daughter
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who explores her family's
war-torn past
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and the lingering effects
it has had
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on three generations
of her family.
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The film is
Light of the Setting Sun.
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Light of the Setting Sun
is directed
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and narrated by Taiwanese
American filmmaker Vicky Du.
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Du's first documentary
feature-length film
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tells an incredibly personal
story.
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Du's parents came to New York
City as college students
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looking for a better life
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in the aftermath of the
Chinese Communist Revolution.
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Her parents were good
at the basics,
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always making sure she and her
brother were well-fed,
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clothed, and educated.
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But under the surface,
Vicky grew up in a house
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where she frequently saw abuse,
displacement,
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and mental illness,
resulting in childhood trauma
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which followed her and other
family members into adulthood.
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Du's parents would have
shouting matches
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followed by long stretches
of piercing silence,
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causing anxiety
for the rest of the family.
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When her brother speaks
on camera,
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he talks about the fear,
anxiety,
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and the sadness in their home.
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Du draws a correlation
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between the trauma in her house
growing up
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and the trauma her parents
and grandparents dealt with
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during the Chinese Civil War.
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Vicky Du tracks her family's
history over three generations
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and across three countries:
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China, Taiwan,
and the United States.
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What is even more remarkable
is that,
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like a true documentarian,
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she was able to research
her family tree back 900 years.
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In Light of the Setting Sun,
Du hops back and forth
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between her family's life
on the streets of Taipei
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and where she grew up
in suburban New Jersey.
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Du takes her time
with her visuals,
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complementing them with
different genres of music
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as well as silence,
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which you will see is a theme
throughout the film,
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allowing viewers to immerse
themselves in her experience.
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The director tells her story
about her family history
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with respect and care.
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She talked
to multiple generations
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of her diaspora family,
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hearing stories about the war
for the first time,
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including how her grandparents
fought in the Shanghai Army
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against the
Chinese Communist Party,
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which gave her a sense
of her ancestors' history.
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In addition to exploring her
family's past,
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Vicky Du also lets us in to her
more modern day family life
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and uses humor when needed,
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like when she tells her mother
she's a lesbian.
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Yes, Vicky Du is not afraid
of awkwardness on camera.
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The film is comprised of not
only intimate interviews,
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but priceless archival footage,
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as well as narration from the
director's own calming voice.
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Let's sit back and watch this
talented director tell her story
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about how her family's tragic
moments bring things to light.
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Light of the Setting Sun
starts now on PBS Wisconsin,
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your home for independent film.