SVT - The Face of the Enemy Vietnam War (2009)

Over four million Vietnamese died in what one side calls the American War and the other side calls the Vietnam War. A war so brutal, that it has been described as their 'own' Third World War by the Vietnamese. In this rare instance, it is those who lost the war that have almost exclusively written its history. Whilst countless stories have been told from the American point of view, most often reducing the Vietnamese to faceless shadows very little has been heard from the other side. The official Vietnamese line meanwhile continues to issue purely one dimensional propaganda. The Face of the Enemy is a unique documentary, in that it tells the story of the Vietnamese that fought in “The American” war, in their own words. In the film the veterans have the chance, often for the first time, to recall the experiences that transformed and changed their lives. A film that has inspired the filmmakers is Peter Davis' “Hearts and Minds” from 1975. A documentary, whose truth and relevance has been merely re-strengthened with the passage of time. The title of that film refers to a speech given by Lyndon B. Johnson in which he proclaimed the escalation of the American involvement in the Vietnam War. In the speech, Johnson re-iterated his claim that, “The ultimate victory will depend on the hearts and minds of the people who actually live out there”. Whilst Davis' film looks closer at the Americans, this film looks at the other side. The core of this film is to investigate the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese who fought in that war. How did they sustain their morale in the face of such overwhelming odds? What did they believe in? How did they see their comrades? The enemy? Their families back at home? How do they look at the war now? In 'The Face of the Enemy' we piece together their compelling unheard stories. The addition of rare archive footage and personal photos of the veterans themselves aids the attempt to chart a whole new perspective on one of the most decisive conflicts in modern history.

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