Review of Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1995) by Frecissimo S — 10 Jul 2005

I was a little disappointed by the form of [u]Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision[/u], but I'm recommending it based on its content.

Back in 1980, a group of veterans lobbied the government to commission the creation of the famous Vietnam War Memorial on the Mall in Washington DC. The winner of the contest to design it was a twenty year old daughter of Chinese immigrants named Maya Lin, who went on to become one of the most prolific architects / sculptors of the decades to follow. At the time, the Memorial was much maligned and opposed by many people, including Pat Buchanan and several vocal Vietnam veterans. But one of the reasons why I wanted to see this film was that for me personally, and for many others, this memorial is the most moving thing you will see in Washington DC. It's simple, elegant, beautiful, and very moving.

The story of how the monument came to be in [u]A Strong Clear Vision[/u] is as moving as the monument itself, and worth the price of admission for this film. It's an amazing part of our history and says a lot about us as a country (positive, IMO). The problem I had with it is what comes later, a chronicle of everything Maya Lin has done since that's interesting in terms of her designs, but structured in a methodical and boring way, IMO. Once you get past the Vietnam War Memorial, the rest of the stuff is more or less a chronicle of Ms. Lin's work, which again, is impressive in and of itself, just not presented very well here, if you ask me. I started drifting pretty much after the opening sequence, but again, what a sequence that was.

As a side note, the other reason I really wanted to see this film is because it won Best Documentary the year [u]Hoop Dreams[/u] (1994, Steve James) failed to even be nominated. Hoop Dreams is the best documentary I've ever seen, period. As compelling as Ms. Lin's story is, and as glad as I am that this movie about her was made, if you want to see a truly great documentary, see [u]Hoop Dreams[/u]. But if you ever go to Washington DC and see the wall in person, do yourself a favor and also check out this film.