Dumbarton Bridge (1999)

John Shed, a black American, lives precariously, at the margins of Silicon Valley, with his white girl friend, Belinda. His life is thrown out of balance when his half-Vietnamese daughter, ... See full summary »

Director:

Charles Koppelman

Writer:

Charles Koppelman

Stars:

Esperanza Catubig, Art Desuyo, Daphne Ashbrook

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Esperanza Catubig	...	Minh
Art Desuyo	...	Duc
Daphne Ashbrook	...	Belinda
Leo Burmester	...	Jack
Kelvin Han Yee	...	Tron
Steven Anthony Jones	...	James
Hansford Prince	...	Ron
Peter Fitzsimmons	...	Marlon
Richard Harder	...	Mr. Jimmie
Laurence Thoo	...	Dung
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Gross	...	Salt Company Foreman
Mai Huynh	...	Peasant Woman
Patricia Tyler	...	Ms. Grey
Hunter Vo	...	Gang member (as Phu Vo)
Tom Wright	...	John Shed

Storyline

John Shed, a black American, lives precariously, at the margins of Silicon Valley, with his white girl friend, Belinda. His life is thrown out of balance when his half-Vietnamese daughter, Minh, arrives from a refugee camp in Thailand. Father and daughter begin a parallel search for belonging and identity amidst the salt ponds and tract homes of the south San Francisco Bay Area rarely seen in films.

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Plot Keywords:

interracial relationship | independent film | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

updates/stills

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

East, Palo Alto, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bridge Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

Vietnam vet forced to confront his past

I saw this film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and found it to be an impressive exploration of themes that are generally ignored in mainstream Hollywood cinema. John Shed, an African American Vietnam vet is forced to confront his past when his half-Vietnamese daughter arrives from Vietnam. The film manages to explore issues of racial relationships among Vietnamese, African Americans, and white people in America without being exploitative. Tom Wright -- a veteran of a number of John Sayles movies -- give an excellent portrayal of John Shed as a man wrestling with his internal demons. The film, which was shot in the San Francisco Bay Area, also looks great and the score (mostly jazz and some R&B) is well chosen and acute.

The film is definitely a mood piece and an exploration of character rather than plot driven and, in fact, several of the plot elements remain unresolved at the end. And, not all of the performances are as convincing as they could be. But, I would recommend Dumbarton Bridge as a thoughtful exploration of the interaction between personal and racial issues in modern day America.