"Dealing with Loss"
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What You Need To Know:
Many of the women do not have a biblical response to suffering. The Buddhist and the communists see their lives as neither precious nor sacred. For those who believe the Word of the living God, the truth is that you only die once and then the judgment. REGRET TO INFORM is not heavy handed about a particular worldview, although there are positive references to Buddhism and politically correct elements, which could be and will be debated endlessly. However, this is a movie for those who need to deal with grief and especially the grief of losing a loved one under circumstances that no one quite understands.
Content:
(B, Pa, FR, PC, L, V, N, S, A, D, M) Eclectic worldview with strong humanist & Buddhist elements representing the point-of-view of various Vietnam widows both Vietnamese & American, with a clear message to end all war & many politically correct elements; 3 obscenities & references to torture; discussions of violence & scenes from old news clips about the Vietnam war, including images of violence, naked charred bodies in strips of cloth, dead nude babies, & shots of dead people in states of undress; brief scenes of streetwalkers & discussions of prostitution; smoking; drinking; and, a Buddhist offering.
More Detail:
Reading our content section for the documentary movie REGRET TO INFORM would make one think that it rates a minus two (-2), but such is not the case. REGRET TO INFORM tells about Barbara Sonneborn’s return to Vietnam after nearly a quarter of a century to deal with the grief from the death of her first husband in combat. In the process of visiting the battlefield where he died, she interviews many American and Vietnamese widows about their grief and recollections of the war. Their stories are illustrated by news footage of the carnage and desperation during the Vietnam War – footage that aired on prime time news programs during the 60s and 70s. Therefore, the content is not exploited beyond the evening news material, and in fact, the movie judiciously tries to avoid exploiting the issue of the Vietnam War.
Clearly, the message is to end war because war is H*ll, especially for the survivors. The women who were interviewed loved their husbands. They do not condemn their husbands for their involvement in the war, but they are trying to deal with the loss, even after so many years.
The Vietnamese women are also trying to deal with the torture and pain that they themselves suffered. One received electric shocks because she was a Vietcong spy. Another resorted to prostitution to survive and stole the food of a dying friend. Of course, these are not biblical responses to suffering. For the Buddhists interviewed, life is neither precious nor sacred. If you die, you may go onto another incarnation. For those who believe in the Word of the living God, who created heaven and earth, the truth is that you only die once, and then the judgment.
Again, REGRET TO INFORM is not heavy handed about a particular worldview, although positive references to humanism and to its religious counterpart, Buddhism, are scattered throughout the movie including an incense lighting ceremony to remember the dead and politically correct elements, which could be and will be debated endlessly.
What is compelling about this movie, is that it is so deeply moving, poetic and powerful. It takes the viewer on a journey back to Vietnam. It shows the love the women have for their husbands, and poses the question, “Why did they die?”
REGRET TO INFORM deserves to be an Academy Award nominee, but it is a film that many people will not enjoy. Beautiful and profound, it is not entertaining in the manner of a Hollywood movie; interesting, it does not capture your emotions like the thrill ride of normal Hollywood fare. However, it is a movie for those who need to deal with grief and especially the grief of losing a loved one under circumstances that no one quite understands.
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