In this unique virtual reality experience, author Kim Thuy and I recount the story of exile through three generations of a Vietnamese immigrant family. These three journeys allow us to see through the eyes of the one who had to leave their country, the one caught between two cultures, and the one with the possibility of painting an entirely new picture. This poetic journey—woven with dreams, memories, and imagination—is an artistic experience directly inspired by my own family’s history. The names used are real, as are the family archives gathered over time.

My first documentary film, Sur le quai de la gare, explored the moment when each member of my family, in both Canada and Vietnam, had to decide whether to stay or leave their homeland. Like many children of immigrants, I was searching for my identity, feeling neither fully Vietnamese nor fully Québécois. I often tried to understand my parents’ past—the war, the exile, and the immigration—but our conversations never went very deep. The main barrier was always language: French was their second language, and Vietnamese was mine. Moreover, their natural reserve and modesty prevented them from fully opening up. To my surprise, when I introduced a camera, the words and stories started to flow. This film allowed me to better understand my family, though it did not fully resolve my questions about identity.

As life took me on a journey across the world, I went on to create multiple projects telling the stories of others. A decade of wandering deepened my feeling of not belonging anywhere. As I wrote in La mer de l’Est, “I traveled the world and brought back only images.”

Years after my first documentary, I picked up my camera again and filmed my surroundings: conversations with my parents, moments of my mother cooking, family meals, and ultimately, my father’s illness and passing. Once again, I found myself exploring the world through a camera. I often thought of making another film with this footage, but this time, something held me back from sharing such personal material. My artistic practice had shifted toward diverse projects in music, contemporary art, environment, architecture, urban planning, astronomy, and more—drawing me away from deeply personal themes.

Then, during a conversation with my friend and collaborator Kim Thuy about a potential virtual reality project on exile, she suggested that instead of creating a fictional story, I tell my own. She encouraged me to use my family archives and apply an artistic lens. In other words, she pushed me to turn the camera toward myself. This is how La mer de l’Est was born. The camera is virtual, but I am finally daring to look inward in order to better understand the world outside.

We imagined a narrative deeply rooted in my history yet designed to transport the audience into an imaginative realm. Kim Thuy helped me refine the storytelling for each generation, distilling their identity struggles to their essence and finding the right emotions to express them. She also encouraged me to use the fewest words possible—poetic touches, closer to haiku than a traditional voiceover explaining or narrating.

Through my personal journey and our collaborative work, the intention is to create a story that allows the audience to experience each generation from the inside. An immersion into the imagination of a family that, in some ways, becomes less and less Vietnamese.

—Michel DT Lam, Screenwriter, Director

Narrator
Chantal Thuy

Written by
Kim Thuy & Michel D.T. Lam

Directed by
Michel D.T. Lam

Developed as part of

Produced by
Les Productions Figure 55

Production
Pascal Pelletier
Philippe Chrusten
Michel D.T. Lam

Production Coordination
Anne-Marie Sylvestre
Sarah Sozzi

Visual Design
Unstandard Studio
Production Director: Eddy Georges
3D Environment: Jacob St-Pierre
3D Characters: William Bélanger
Character Animation: Philippe Gélinas
Concept Artist: Megan Gaudet Roy

Interactive Development Studio
Neek Studio
Technical Direction: Louis TB
Lead Developer: Camilo Videz

Sound Design
Eon Sounds
Audio Supervisor & Sound Design: François Jolin
Sound Design: Iohann M. Miller
Sound Recording: Leon Fu

Music
Một cõi đi về
Lyrics & Music: Trịnh Công Sơn

Vocals: Chantal Thuy
Guitars & Piano: Michel D.T. Lam
Recording, Arrangement & Mixing: Guillaume Coutu-Dumont