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Spring Roll Dream
Linh is a Vietnamese single mother who's successfully forged a life for herself and her son in America. But when her father visits from Vietnam and insists on cooking the family a traditional Vietnamese meal, Linh is confronted with the past and culture she left behind and the question of where it belongs in her family's new life.
Linh has built a life with her son in San Francisco. But when her Vietnamese father comes to visit, the traditions and cultures of her past begin to resurface, challenging her to find a way to reconcile them with her present. With Spring Roll Dream, director Mai Vu creates a touching narrative blending themes of immigration, identity, cultural and family heritage, sensitively exploring the bonds that tie three generations of the same family.
Making and sharing a meal can be such a personal, intimate and emotionally loaded experience – especially for immigrants, for whom sharing a traditional dish can serve as a small, powerful reminder of home. When Spring Roll Dream starts, Linh, the protagonist, isn’t looking back. She has moved to San Francisco and lives, and eats, like an American. Her son has been raised with assimilation in mind, and very little from her life back in Vietnam remains in her daily routine.
When her father shows up, he upsets the balance Linh has created, bringing with him the weight of the past and its traditions. His presence making her doubt how she has been raising her son. Written by Chloe White, the screenplay is undeniably clever and nuanced, and uses spring rolls as a catalyst for this reflection. At its core, the film is all about sharing, which makes it all the more engaging when it’s denied.
Linh returns home with her son to find her father cooking in the kitchen.
DP Martyna Jakimowska frames the characters perfectly, echoing the mother’s state of mind as she navigates her father’s presence and his opinions. Yet, it’s the short’s color palette and animation style that truly bring the story to life, enhancing every emotional beat – from moments of rejection to the warmth of family gathered around the table. Vu cleverly weaves all these elements together, creating a film that is not only visually striking but also emotionally potent. The stop-motion also adds a very tangible feel to the food in the film as well, making it feel real between the hands of the protagonists and highlighting its importance in the narrative.
The performances are also paramount to the film’s emotional impact. Elyse Dinh (Linh), Bui Bai Binh (Sang), and Jarlan Bogolubov (Alan), all convey so much depth without ever revealing their faces to the audience. Spring Roll Dream is especially effective in how perfectly it captures the feeling of being stuck, with its central character caught in between her present and her past, making the release provided at the end all the more touching.
Spring Roll Dream premiered in the Cinef section at the 2022 Festival de Cannes and went on to play at multiple festivals including SXSW, Seattle’s SIFF, and the Palm Springs ShortFest.
