Oscar Documentary: Last Days in Vietnam (Capsule Review)

Last Days in Vietnam
Directed by Rory Kennedy
Released September 5, 2014

Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum and your attitude towards war, it’s feasible to understand that even when a country officially disengages from a war, the conflict is far from over both for the citizens of the area and those personnel still stationed there. “Last Days in Vietnam,” one of the Oscar nominees for Best Documentary this year, tells the lesser-known story of what happened after the United States publicly ended its involvement in the Vietnam War. The final two years of the conflict represent a different era, one marked by fear among Americans remaining in the country about continually escalating violence and threats in an increasingly unstable situation. As usual, interviews with several South Vietnamese figures who managed to make it out to tell their stories are the most powerful aspect of a documentary littered with intriguing tales of efforts to do what seemed right with the orders that were given. In all, they don’t make for an entirely engaging film, but these last days are worth chronicling to a degree. Watch it for yourself on Amazon Instant Video!

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