The Beautiful Country

The Beautiful Country (DVD/ USA,Norway/ 2004, 128 min.)
Director: Hans Petter Moland (Aberdeen)
Production: Terrence Malick (Thin Red Line)
Actors: Damien Nguyen, Bai Ling (Anna and the King, Taxi 3), Nick Nolte (Hulk, Hotel Rwanda),Tim Roth (Don't Come Knocking, Planet of the Apes).

In his first lead role, Nguyen plays Binh, a social outcast in Vietnam, called ugly and "bui doi" (less than dust) because of his mixed race. He makes a dramatic journey from Vietnam to USA, trying to find his american war veteran father (Nolte).

The Norwegian director Moland, about the Binh character “He’s one of the finest human beings, but you would’t pick him out of a crowd. He ultimately succeeds in keeping his goodness; he is not corrupted or hardened. It is a celebration of what human beings are capable of and what is grand about us. So it’s not about an immigrant, but about humanity.”

Damien Nguyen, the great surprise of the movie --- it’s amazing too see such a strong performance, considering that this is the first lead role for Nguyen. The actor was born in Viet Nam, but his family emmigrated to America when he was 3 years old. Living in Orange County, dropped out of college to pursue the acting career in Los Angeles.
Nguyen Says “... being second-generation Vietnamese American has always been an interesting experience. When I was growing up, I always felt trapped by the Old World customs and traditions. Trying to find my identity in this new world was hard when I felt labeled a certain way because of how I looked, talked, and dressed. Then when I became older, I began to wonder why I never took the time to really understand all those things, like my family and my ancestors, the things that made me who I really am. However, as an actor, I really am given a chance to search, to some degree, for who I really am. I realized it is possible for me to find the characters that I portray within myself.”

Learn more about Damien Nguyen in:http://www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=26462
http://www.moviehabit.com/essays/moland_nguyen.shtml
http://movies.about.com/od/thebeautifulcountry/a/beautiful070605.htm
http://www.nhamagazine.com/back_issue/issue_0106/feature1_p1.html