Event Post: Thao's Library Documentary

Event Post: Thao's Library Documentary

On Thursday, April 19^th, I attended a documentary screening of Thao’s Library. The screening was hosted by Alternative Break, which is a student-led group that organizes/attends events relating to social justice issues. The screening took place in SIS Founders Room.

Thao’s Library follows two women – one of them being a young Vietnamese who is suffering the effects of the poisonous chemicals that were used throughout the Vietnam War. This young woman is seen with severe deformities - she barely has limbs and is in a wheelchair. She meets an American woman named Elizabeth, who suffers from more mental issues.  Elizabeth was inspired by the fact that despite Thao’s circumstances, she finds a way to thrive. She uses her library, which consists of donated and old books. Elizabeth travels from America to be with Thao and help with her library collection by collecting more money and books. They form an unbreakable bond as they reflect on the past and recognize what is best for the future.

           

The purpose of this film is to increase awareness that even after decades later, people are still suffering the effects of war. Thao’s Library was produced in 2015, fifty years after the U.S touched ground in Vietnam. At this point, the average person doesn’t think about the war on a weekly basis. But there are still people who suffer every day from the effects of Agent Orange. In this way, the director gives a voice to the forgotten victims.

One strong message to me that relates to this class is that Elizabeth, the American woman and director who meets Thao, first saw her in a photograph. What is interesting is that if that single photograph was never taken and shared, Elizabeth would have never known about Thao and vice versa.

Another purpose of the film was that, backed The Purpose Project, was to fundraise more money for the community library. Efforts to fundraise mostly included emails and phone calls rather than social media. In addition, there were theatrical performances of this story that were shown at colleges throughout the U.S. The film itself was released in the fall of 2015 in AMC theatres. The main call to action was to encourage people to donate through the website. Elizabeth Van Meter, the director and main character in the documentary, attended the screening at AU to answer questions, tell a little bit about her progression since, and encourage people to donate. Since the release of the film, the project still makes use of donations in order to travel to and from Vietnam and conduct art projects to make the library better. Relating to the class, campus screenings is a good way to spread awareness of the film and make a more impactful call to action. Especially since Thao’s Library is no longer in theaters, this is a good way to continue efforts.

Thao’s Library has won multiple awards, including Best Documentary at the St Louis International Film Festival and Best Audience Award at the Bentonville Film Festival. It has also been shown in five other film festivals. The film is currently available on Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, and for purchase at Walmart. I highly recommend watching it.