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Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond
Episode 2 | 10m 18s | Video has closed captioning.
After the closure of their mother’s nail salon at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, a queer filmmaker works with their mother to recover and articulate the legacy of the salon for their refugee family.
Aired: 05/10/22
Problems Playing Video? | Closed Captioning
♪ MAN (on radio): Ready to attack.
(beeps) ♪ MAN (on radio): Got them in position.
♪ (radio static) (explosions rumble) QUYEN (voiceover): When I think of you, I think of someone who has endured so much loss.
Me#, how do we mourn places that only exist in our memories?
♪ (static) (Vietnamese music playing) QUYEN (in Vietnamese): (Mom replies, Quyen exclaims) MOM (in Vietnamese): QUYEN: ♪ (exhales) Okay.
(hinge squeaks, indistinct talking) QUYEN (in Vietnamese): (door chiming) QUYEN: This wasn't the first time you had to rebuild.
You, like many others, arrived in the United States in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
ANGIE (in Vietnamese): (bell chiming) - Uh huh.
(in Vietnamese): ANGIE: LE: ANGIE: Yeah.
- (chuckles) LE: QUYEN (in Vietnamese): ANGIE: Yeah.
ANGIE: LE: ♪ ANGIE: ♪ LE: ♪ (airplane jet roars in distance) ANGIE: Cathy's Nails.
Big.
QUYEN: ANGIE: (distorted rumbling) (whirring) (loud radio static crackles, liquid drips) QUYEN: I've always felt guilty about your nail salon.
It was your sacrifice in my name, literally.
♪ (in Vietnamese): QUYEN: - Mm.
(static) ANGIE: ♪ QUYEN: - ANGIE: Quyen.
- Mm.
ANGIE: QUYEN: ♪ ♪ (tools whirring) (laughter) (clattering) (chattering) DAD (in Vietnamese): QUYEN: Memories are not the residue of loss.
This generational memory, it's a living practice that we're building.
Together.
(bell chiming) ♪
