The Face of the Enemy

is an anti-war film about the personal suffering behind the hard statistics, which show that more than four million Vietnamese died during the Vietnam War, as opposed to 58,000 Americans. We hear South and North Vietnamese, including émigrés to the United States, describing how huge numbers of friends met their deaths, caught as they were between government forces, the Vietcong, and the Americans; how political boundaries divided not only the country, but also families; how mothers deserted their children because their fathers were American soldiers; and how the war cruelly lingers on long after hostilities ceased, in the lives of children born crippled by chemical weapons. The talking heads' stories are underpinned by family photos of friendly, smiling Vietnamese in uniform that contrast shrilly with the sometimes extremely horrific archive footage of bombardments and battlefields. The aural backdrop of modern soundscapes and music make the stories chillingly easy to identify with. Occasionally, a commentary provides some background information, but basic knowledge about the parties involved is assumed. The film gives equal attention to the stories of both men and women, particularly those in the Vietnamese resistance.