(VNF) - On March 29^th, in Hanoi, the FVH (Friends of Vietnam Heritage) Film Night will present movie “The Whistleblower of My Lai” by director Connie Field in commemoration of the 50^th anniversary ​of the My Lai massacre (1968 – 2018).

The Whistleblower of My Lai captures the artistic journey of the Kronos Quartet as they create an opera about the My Lai massacre, one of the darkest moments of the Vietnam war, with composer Jonathan Berger, tenor Rinde Eckert and master Vietnamese musician, Van Anh Vo.

It tells the story of Hugh Thompson, the army helicopter pilot who discovered and exposed it. His refusal to remain silent about the massacre of 500 Vietnamese civilians by American troops eventually forced the military to conduct an inquiry, which shook the national conscience.

“The Whistleblower of My Lai” has a richly evocative score by Berger, which alternates between bursts of dense, frenzied activity and slow, hymn-like harmonies of aching sweetness. The story portrays Thompson in his final days, dying of cancer and desperately trying to make some sense of the events of 40 years earlier.

“Tenor Rinde Eckert makes Thompson a vivid and poignant character. Each episode is itself neatly framed, with Thompson’s present-day reminiscences fading into the events of 1968. In between are taped snippets of interrogation, in which Thompson’s shameful treatment at the hands of congressional investigators is transformed into a TV game show. The music underscores the drama with unerring clarity. The combined effect is hauntingly beautiful,” said Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle Music Critic.

Set against a historical moment that traumatised American society, “The Whistleblower of My Lai” explores the struggles of an inpidual facing a moral dilemma of incomprehensible proportions.

The film screening will be followed by Q&A with the director Connie Field.

The English-subtitle screening will take place at the Vietnam Feature Films Studio (4 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho district, Hanoi) from 7.30-9 pm. Donation: VND 150,000 (USD 6). Limit: 50 people. Register at [email protected]./.

VNF