Jimmy In Saigon

Director Peter MacDowell was 5 years old when his family learned that Jimmy had died in Vietnam. He'd been a soldier in the war but his death occurred when he returned to Vietnam after he was discharged. His documentary's about a search for the brother he never knew…

Stephen M

Frameline46 Oof. That last animation bit was just bliss. One gay brother's journey to find out who his older gay brother was after he died in Vietnam when they were young. While it never uncovers a definitive truth, it so enjoyable to see how two families across the…

ZacharyBinx

Beautiful, personal, fascinating. Probably my favorite Vietnam related documentary that I’ve ever seen. I’m very glad the director was able to make this, feels intimately important to the filmmaker in a way that few movies are, and as an audience member I can’t help but be…

GrooseLegacy

An interesting investigation into a queer life but a little too autoethnographic and both avoids colonial critiques and repeats them.

B.L. Panther

A midwestern family lives with a ghost (metaphorical, not actual) of a son who died in Saigon in 1972. He wasn’t enlisted at the time, he had finished his enlistment and then returned because he was in love with someone he met there. He gave his family few details and was…

George Bell

A powerful and nuanced story of family myth-making, reflection, and catharsis. I think there’s some small editorial stumbles in the first 30 or so minutes, but overall I found this very affecting and compelling. A real treat to get to see this at The Flicks with the…

Ian Brune

The truth is: I have seen this movie several times over. I have lived a version of it, my friends have lived their own version of it. There are several other documentaries out there where this formula happens. In short: a queer person is driven out and has a struggle and…

Nichtsbesondern

Jimmy in Saigon demonstrates the healing power of truth, and inversely how destructive running from it can be. Moving on from a traumatic event requires acknowledgement and attention. Time will heal most wounds, but not all of them. Mourning without introspection allows the…

MovieCriticSpam

Where to Watch: in select theaters in Los Angeles, May 8, 2025, followed by VOD release on May 13. For more screenings, click here: linktr.ee/JimmyInSaigonDoc RAVING REVIEW: When a story waits decades to be told, it rarely arrives in a straight line. That’s the terrain…

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