THE SYMPATHISER

US, 2024, 7 x 60 minutes, Colour.

Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr, Fred Nguyen Khan, Vy Le, Toan Le, Duy Nguyen, Alan Trong, Sandra Oh, David Duchovny, John Cho, Marc Whittington Cooper.

Directed by Park Chan-wook, Marc Munden, Fernando Meirelles.

The Sympathiser is a seven part television miniseries, created by Korean director, Parker Chan-wook and Canadian, Don McKellar. It had three directors, Park Chan-wook, Mark Munden and Brazilian, Fernando Meirelles. It has a strong lead in Australian actor, Hoa  Xuande, who has appeared in many Australian films and television productions. It was produced by Robert Downey Jr and his wife – with the actor taking on seven quite different character roles, sometimes unrecognisable at first, throughout the series. By and large, the cast has Vietnamese actors in central roles and as extras. The American cast includes Sandra Oh, David Duchovny, John Cho, Marc Whittington Cooper.

The series takes the audience back to the last days of the Vietnam war, 1975. The fall of Saigon is imminent, there is a dramatic presentation of the difficulties in Americans trying to depart, the plains, the crowds, the Vietcong coming in, running to get on board.

The sequences before the escape to the United States focus on a young man, from the North, acting as a double agent, his being controlled by the CIA, and yet his trying to get information to the North. And there are flashbacks to his younger days and, especially, to his two friends, one his contact in the North, the other a friend who escapes to America. The sequences bring American interrogation and counterespionage to life.

Most of the action takes place in the United States, the control urging the young man to go to the United States where he had previously studied and had contacts. And, he accompanies the general for whom he worked in Saigon. The film shows the plight of the Vietnamese exiled from their country, making their way in the United States, banding together, plans to return to Vietnam victorious.

Over the series, the film tracks the life of the spy, his contacts and messages back home, a romance, a meeting with a past friend, the general and his plot for returning to Vietnam…

The framework of most of the series is the young man in a concentration camp in the North, over the period of the year, writing his memoirs for the authorities, continually altering the narrative which is visualised. There is some final revelations about the camp, and an open ending as to what will happen to him next…

1. The title? The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel? The impact for American audiences, Vietnamese audiences?
2. The international filmmakers, directors, Korea, Britain, Brazil, adapters, Korea, Canada? The Vietnamese cast? Americans? The many roles of Robert Downey Jr?
3. The impact of the series, seven episodes? The perspectives, the Vietnamese perspectives, the North, the South? American? In the hindsight of the decades after the fall of Saigon?
4. The impact of the narrative, the focus on Captain, his confession, his memories, distortions, lies, mistakes, his changing, the scenes of his interviews with the Commandant, the rewriting, the volume of writing, over one year, the ultimate document?
5. The character of the Captain, the performance by Hoa Xuande, his background, as a boy, his friendship with Bon and Man, the blood bonding and the cut in their hands? His mother, the French father, the later revelation of his being a priest? Condemned as half breed? His mother saying he was twice valued? The bullying in the past? His motivations? Adult, becoming an agent, loyalty to the North? At work in the south, planted, with the Americans, his work, employed by Claude, the writing of the confession, in the different times, back and forth, perspectives on his character and action?
6. Claude, his look, Robert Downey Jr, the CIA, his hold over Captain, his style, the pressures, the tasks, the theatre sequence, Death Wish on the hoarding? The interrogation of the agent, torturing her, the Captain confronting her, with his eyes, swallowing the material, forcing it out? Later, the torture with the bottle, and the memories of the rape? The fact of her being in captivity, re-education, her story, reading Captain’s, his reading hers? Staying in the camp?
7. The General, his position, his wife in society, daughter and ambitions, his being on the staff, the torture and the interrogation, the General relying on Captain, decisions, trusting him, the imminent fall of Saigon, the list and Captain’s decisions, motivations? Confronting the officials, leaving the gun and the official taking the candy?
8. The character of Man, the contact from the North, his decision that Captain should go to America? Bon, his wife and child, the friendship, scenes together?
9. The fall of Saigon, vividly captured, the bombs, the airport, those fleeing, the planes? Bon and the death of his wife and child, Captain urging him on, getting on the plane, the feelings on the way to the US?
10. Captain and his attitude, his loyalties, the past, his studies in the US, the language, his happy memories, music? The friendship with The Professor? The General and the family, the camp, born in the camp, the hard life, the move to California?
11. California, the General and his decline, drinking, his change, paranoia, suspicions, wanting rivals killed, plotting with Captain? His liquor store? His wife, adapting to America, the restaurant? The daughter, liking America, escaping with Captain in the car, on the film set, infatuation with the singer? Performing? Captain and his reaction to the rape sequence? Her becoming a singer?
12. Man, the secret ink, the communications, Man wanting him to stay in the US?
13. Bon, the revelation about his being an assassin? The friendship, the choosing of a suspect for assassination and plotting, His double dealings with the candy? The setup, the brutal killing?
14. The character of Sonny, the past link with Captain, journalist, his articles, the relationship with Sophia, the challenge, Captain sending the photos to him, the revelatory article? And the decision to kill him?
15. Sophia, Asian, American, older, work in the office, relationship with the Captain, then with Sonny?
16. The making of the film, Captain and his decision, the support of the General, discussions with the erratic director, his performance, attitudes? The support of the professor, of the hard-nosed politician? On set, the details of the filming, lines for the Vietnamese and Captain’s campaign, the assistant director and getting Vietnamese extras, their arrival, their not wanting to recite lines from the North? The recreation of the village, the set designer and the tour for Captain, the scenes in the village, the director and his rewrites? The American actor, savage, echoes of Apocalypse Now? The rape sequence and Captain’s intervention? His being fired? His going to the cemetery, his mother’s grave, the explosions, the consequence, hospital? Visit from Bon, Sophia, Sonny?
17. The general and his plan, his squad, out in the desert, the drills? Captain and his reaction? The General relying on him, his finally agreeing to accompany the group to Bangkok, Man and his urging him not to come? The arrival, the travel, the incursion, the capture?
18. The re-education camp, the physical nature of the camp, the prisoners, Captain and his year in solitary, writing and rewriting, interviews with the Commandant? The meeting with the masked commander? The revelation, the napalm, Captain and his discussions with Man, Bon and his endurance? And the plan to set them free, the disguise of the mask, leaving, to where?