“Child of Dust” at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

This 92-minute documentary that screened at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival was a Polish, Vietnamese, Czech and Swedish production, directed and produced by Weronika Mliczewsta. It is the story of a 55-year-old man fathered by an American G.I while serving in Vietnam in 1966-1967 and the son’s life-long attempt to meet his biological father.

Sang Ngo Thanh is told by his G.I. father, Nelson Torres, when they finally meet in 2023, “Now you have a last name, Sang Torres.” The scene in the airport where Sang meets his father and his two brothers is heartbreaking. His entire life Sang wanted a father. Having a father is paramount in Vietnamese culture. The reunion scene at the airport is a tearjerker.

HOBSON’S CHOICE

“Child of Dust” (Sang Torres).

But what a Hobson’s choice! A Hobson’s choice indicates the necessity of accepting one of two or more equally objectionable alternatives. In this case, once Sang is linked to his biological father through DNA testing (think Maury Povich with his “You ARE the father!” pronouncements) Sang is told that the United States government will pay for him to relocate to the United States. But he cannot bring other family members and he cannot return to Vietnam. It was noteworthy that the Torres family was open to this reunion, as most G.I.’s are not.

Sang had been searching for his father for half a century. He had, by all accounts, a terrible childhood, being passed off to an Uncle at birth, then to abusive parents by the Uncle. His mother spent time in what he describes as a Reformatory Camp and could not care for him. He ran away to Saigon at age 14.  Sang says, “I have never belonged anywhere. In my life, I tried to survive.”

Sang had almost no formal education and struggles to learn some basic English phrases that he will be able to use when he relocates to America, leaving behind his wife, his daughter (who has become a drug addict) and a darling 7-month old grandson whom Sang and his Vietnamese wife are raising. It’s interesting to learn that both Sang and his father Nelson were raised without their fathers. Nelson Torres and his wife divorced when the oldest of his three U.S. children was nine.

USA

Sang with his wife and grandson in “Child of Dust.”

When he decides to leave Vietnam and go to the United States, Sang tells his wife, “Forgive me. I have to go. This is the only way to break the cycle of the past.” The tattooed phrase on his right arm says it all: “No father. No mother. No home.  The sadness of my life.” He is homesick and is introduced to other Vietnamese citizens by a local Vietnamese preacher.

OPPORTUNITY?

The DNA testing has opened the door to a meeting with Sang’s biological father and—unlike most American G.I.’s who fathered children overseas—the family is receptive to meeting the brother and son they didn’t know existed. His brothers Jason, Nelson Jr., Mel and sister Vanessa are shown meeting with him via Facetime and with an interpreter helping them to communicate. It is hopeful that Nelson, Sr., feels he should belatedly take responsibility for his Vietnamese son, but Vanessa (Sang’s new sister) reveals that the family is not particularly warm and fuzzy or, as she put it, “fluffy.”

HURDLES

There are many legal documents that must be obtained before Sang is sent a visa and flies to meet his family in Virginia. The meeting in the airport is a quick punch to the heart of anyone who has one. Sang is so happy to meet his American family and has given up everything to meet his father.

Then the problems start, as you can imagine they would. In Sang’s words, “I feel very sad.  It’s killing me. If I had known this, I wouldn’t have come.” Yet he and his wife agreed that there was at least a slim chance that his coming to the United States might open the door to a better future for the grandson they are raising. The Torres family, in conversations onscreen, references trying to bring Sang’s wife and family over, despite the warnings that it is a non-starter. (Definitely a non-starter in Trump’s America.)

REALIZATION

“Child of Dust” at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.

By film’s end, Sang finally realizes, “I am not Vietnamese. I will never be American.  My only home is my family.” While his half-sister (Vanessa) and his brothers and father take him to Burger King for his first burger, there doesn’t seem to be a well-thought-out plan for Sang to have human contact, other than the occasional meeting with his new-found family.  Sang is not invited into the homes of his blood relatives. He is  unable to communicate and is not among other Vietnamese. If you’ve ever traveled abroad, you know how isolating the inability to communicate  can be. To his credit, he does find a job baking.

CONCLUSION

This one moved me to tears. There were some shots of Sang looking out to sea and Virginia sunsets that were beautiful, but the overwhelming feeling of “You can’t go home again” hung heavy throughout. The editing (Marcin Sucharski and Matusz Romaszkan) was good. The music composed by Joaquin Garcia fits the mood of the film, which is melancholy at best.

Sang’s father died 18 months after they met, in July of 2025. This is a sad documentary that was very well done. It raises questions about the after-effects of any war. I highly recommend this one to serve as a cautionary tale about ever getting U.S. troops involved in wars on foreign shores.