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 except as the subject of his family's muted grief. But it's also about uncovering a mystery as his death and his life was not what it seemed.A well-done very personal doc that touches on the how middle-class families avoid or cover over issues of drug usage and sexuality and the need for queer people to escape from an environment where they must hide their "difference" so they can be more fully who they are. Set in the late 60s and early 70s, the influence of the Vietnam War and the use of drugs by youth and GIs in the war is present.MacDowell's search takes him first to asking hard questions of his family, especially his mother. Then he travels twice to Vietnam, first with minimal clues and then years later when he has learned more of Jimmy's story. It also takes him to Iowa, where to meet Luyen, the Vietnamese woman Jimmy claimed was his girlfriend - when it was actually her brother Dung who was his love. Dung's story and the grief for the man he loved brings in a second storyline about being closeted in Asia.Although it lags a bit in the middle, it's effective and moving at times. It's of interest that the film's also about Peter, who is also gay and grew up in a time when he could come out to his parents. His need to know the gay brother and possible role model he never had makes it even more personal.
