1. Chuyen Tu te (1987) - Living as one should
Staring at the facade of capitalism and power manipulation, what keeps me alive is the remained kindness. Whenever I watched the movie, it reminded me of my dear friend Thanh Vu. Thank you for being one of very few people I know who live with 100% passion, pure heart, and kindness. I wish you the best in your documentary path, dear.
If you have 42 mins in your day, please watch the movie and let it reminding you about living with kindness.
2. Thay co chung ta da thay doi (2017) - How our teacher changed The program selected 8 teachers, analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of each. The weakness often drives from over-esteem of teachers: unable to listen to their students, fail to appreciate their jobs, and reluctant to change. Most teachers feel helpless with students and tired of their job. The program is a breath of fresh air given the learning environment in Vietnam. It advocates for proactive teaching environment and putting students as classroom centre. At the end of each episode, through tears and smiles, those teachers found the meaning and happiness from their work again.
3. Talk Vietnam: Lê Duy Loan. An engineer and the first woman and Asian elected as a Texas Instruments Senior Fellow
Recently, VTV impressed me with the quality of its shows. Talk Vietnam is another incredible show. My favorite this year is an interview with Ms. Le Duy Loan. There are two words repeatedly mentioned in this talk: determination and compassion. It showed who she is as a woman and a professional.
I saw my aunt, my friend’s mother, my teacher, and my fav restaurant owner in Ms. Loan. Their earnest to belong to the motherland, the audacity to dream, the incredible work ethics, and above all a compassionate heart for the greater good. I cried watching the show. Only kindness is able to move me that way and I guess it can do so to others.
4. Thao's library (2015)
Some were born to take. Some were born to give. This is a heart tearing story of Thao. She was born to give even when so little she has. Agent Orange couldn't stop her from dreaming. She dreams of becoming a princess, of having legs and arms like normal people do, and of having a library. Her laughters when she saw her library torn my heart. Thao is an inspiration.
The very last scenes when she danced with her hands made me feel i'm so lucky. I can dance on my own feet.
5. Andrew Jenks, Room 335 (2006)
Days after my grandmother passed away, my boss gave me a book about Buddhism. Its message put good scar in my heart. Life is impermanent. You can't control it but wisdom and love make you survive. Since then, books and documentaries on the elderly have special place in my heart.
Andrew Jenks, Room 335 told a story of Andrew aged of 19 living in nursery home in Florida with his friends to document the elderly lives. whole documentary sparkled with tears and laughters. I remember Tammy and Bill the most. They made jokes, bought candies and helped others. They created love and received enormous amount of love from others.
By the end of the day, only "beauty and kindness made tears clear blindness"
The show reminded me of my another favorite Youtube video: Life lessons from 100-year-olds. If you are my close friends, I am sure you were sent the vid x