French, India, and China

Indochina

Despite the critics Ebert and Kempley, Indochina is a riveting film which depicts the destruction of culture while simultaneously giving us a love story like no other. Southeast Asia is the geographical location and was referred to as French Indo-China. French Indo-China means the area was impacted by India, China, and France. However, in the movie we see mostly the influence of the French rule.
Once again, an area is occupied by outsiders (The French) and a society and culture is drastically influenced. The Indochinese becomes an oppressed people controlled by French rule. This is showcased in two ways in the movie. First, Elaine the wealthy plantation owner operates her plantation without fear of an uprising from the Indochinese. Elaine is confident in her role as were all outsiders, because she had the backing of the French rule. Secondly, the movie displays the oppression vividly with its portrayal of the Indochinese being traded and sold on the docks. The Indochinese under the French rule were basically slaves who could assist in the growth of the French influence in the area.
Lastly, Indochina like in other movies we have viewed had characters experiencing both cultures due to carefully scripted circumstances. The character Camille, Elaine’s adopted daughter, grew up being educated in French schools. She is mostly unaware of how oppressed her people are until she becomes one of the oppressed herself. She falls into this situation while searching for love of a naval officer (Jean-Baptiste) who was reassigned and distanced from her. Because of their love for one another, Jean a well established French naval officer, also joins the uprising against the oppression of the Indochinese. His decision led him to live as the Indochinese. Jean eventually committed suicide. I believe he felt a personal responsibility for what the area had become and what had become of the people. Indochina does not offer the perfect ending, but does offer a prelude to the Vietnam War.