Video

The Undeniable Force of Khó Khăn” Film by Cindy Nguyen [Starring my mom, Phạm Thị Kim Thủy]

February 14, 2020

By Cindy Nguyen

A film on the bittersweet nature of love, language, and memory. Directed, Produced, Edited, Words by Cindy Nguyen 

“The Undeniable Force of Khó Khăn” film is part of “Mẹ [Mom], Translated ,” a project on intergenerational language and love.

For this piece, I seek to dwell on the act of translation– that universal human yearning to understand and be understood. I do not always translate Vietnamese words in the piece to English because I hope to convey the moments of comprehension/miscomprehension between different languages and generational divides. We do not just translate words. We translate moments and grasp for meaning. We translate across time and glance backwards through the bittersweet filters of nostalgia and loss.

I invite the viewer to experience the delicate moments of misreading and translation — imbue subtle gestures and tones with layers of interpretation. The symbolic actions and conversation between a mother and daughter reveal the secret language of refugee and immigrant survival: hy sinh (sacrifice), khó khăn (suffering), perseverance (chịu khó), and success (thành công). Wander between poetic voice, slip away into memory; pause and grasp for that undeniable force.

Please share this project with anyone who

  • has felt misunderstood
  • dances freely or uneasily between categories and languages
  • has used google translate with their parents and family
  • has been told “you are not really  ____”
  • does not know where or who ‘home’ is
  • wanders and wonders why

Artists, bilinguists, academics, Asian Americans, Vietnamese, everyone…I would really appreciate your feedback on this piece and the project. Please share your thoughts, feelings, feedback with me at misreadingart@gmail.com

Follow the project “Mẹ, Translated” and film/soundscapes on Youtube

Comments:

Ryan Phung

March 12, 2020 • 10:41 PM

I really loved this piece! I think that the way you talk about language is really beautiful, and how your mom’s experiences translated into the words you would hear as a child was really interesting. I love how this was a collaborative project between you and your mom, the love between you really shines through. I also enjoyed seeing just the random shots of you and your mom laughing together, it adds an element of normalcy to your discussion of suffering and perseverance, framing your mom as just a regular mom first and foremost rather than some triumphant hero, even though she definitely is one.

Yuke Huang

October 2, 2020 • 9:49 AM

Her video lat me know that the word is not just word, but it also has deeper meaning inside of it.

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