‘Bitterroot’ features Hmong-American family

“Bitterroot,” a film reflecting on Hmong-American culture, explores the struggles of a man challenged by the trauma of divorce and also the need to care for his aging mother.
The film is directed by Vera Brunner-Sung and stars Wa Yang as Lue, the man coming to terms with the changes in his life. Kazoua Vang is a co-producer and assistant director.

MEET THE CO-PRODUCER, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR
K. Vang said she became involved with “Bitterroot” through another producer, Yeej Moua, whom she met at an art gathering.
“We became friends, and we eventually went to Montana. I had always wanted to go to Montana, and we had conversations around the project of ’Bitterroot.’
“Being part of the Hmong film community in Minnesota, I have always wanted to make sure the Hmong American experience is captured correctly,” K. Vang said. She was invited to be a part of the production crew. K. Vang said that although she grew up in Minnesota, being a Hmong woman and daughter translates to the Hmong community in Missoula, where the picture was filmed. She said her journey with “Bitterroot” led to working with the script, stories, characters and Missoula Hmong community to make the film authentic. She also worked on the set.
K. Vang said she grew up around film, but has always been an artist and storyteller at heart. “I have used these skills in being a producer,” she said. “I have always loved film and movies, and I think what I can bring to a film as a producer are the values I have and wanting to make sure those values are also present on the set.” K. Vang said that for “Bitterroot,” because it is a western American film as well, she wanted to make sure Lue and Song, his mother, were portrayed and displayed in a way that feels right for the Hmong American community.
According to K. Vang, her work as both a producer and assistant director on “Bitterroot” was a matter of building trust. “Film-making can be very transactional, but for me, it is important to build trust and relationships that last longer than the movie.”
K. Vang observed that one of the most challenging parts of making the film was working during the COVID pandemic. “We were filming while we still had to follow protocol policies. It didn’t make or break the movie, but it was definitely challenging.”
K. Vang said she appreciates that “Bitterroot” gave opportunities to so many more Hmong to join the film-making process, both in front of and behind the camera. “If that can happen, I am always happy to share the process. The process is what‘s important to me.”

MEET ACTOR W. YANG
W. Yang, who stars as Lue in “Bitterroot,” has been a part of the Hmong film-making community in Minnesota for many years. As a high schooler, he had participated in an Asian Media summer program in Minneapolis that catered to young Asian American students interested in videography. “I was in my senior year, and I learned a lot about film stuff and camera work,” W. Yang explained, “but they also needed actors. I got to act, build some friendships and started in some small films.”
He achieved the starring role in Bryan Vue’s film “Journey to a Fallen Sky,” and moved on from there in acting and production. He traveled to Los Angeles. There were a lot more opportunities there in going out and seeking projects, since that is the city where the industry is. But there were not a lot of roles for Asian American men.
W. Yang said that today, back in Minnesota, he is in a very different frame of mind. “In LA, I wanted to make acting my day job. And when I returned to Minnesota, I was asked to be a part of many different projects. I didn’t have to go looking for them.”
W. Yang considers himself more extroverted and colorful than some of the roles he plays. His characters are usually more reserved and speak less dialogue. “Not that I don’t do that in my personal life, so it is not such a big stretch. Growing up in a culture where being too vocal is looked down upon, that kind of reserve is cultivated and fostered.”
He said that the part of Lue was reflective of his own life-view, and that helped him with the role and the character. “It was more challenging to play the spirit,” he said. “That took some time to figure out and how the spirit interacted with Lue.”
W. Yang said he could see that his day job as a psychiatric nurse practitioner could help him with his acting. “I have only been doing it for three years, but in future projects if there are characters who resemble my patients I teach, it could be helpful.” He said that observing family dynamics and taking bits and parts of that could help him utilize his experiences into roles and characters.
W. Yang said the scenery of rural Montana provided a sense of calm that is very different from the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities. “The flowing river, the mountains, just the whole scenery was really relaxing,” he said. “The film captured that with its pacing.”
W. Yang commented that for those who have not seen the film but are interested, “Bitterroot” is a film that follows a certain rhythm. “There is something to be said regarding that pace and that rhythm. It is reflective of us as human beings, taking time to process and redefine yourself when you’re lost. My character was very lost.”

MEET THE DIRECTOR
As a director, Brunner-Sung has said her work explores the connection between identity and place. “It is something I am always thinking about for myself, based on my life experience. How do we decide where we belong? What makes us belong somewhere?”
Brunner-Sung connects to other people who have created that connection for themselves, like every immigrant everywhere, or anyone born in one place and moved to another. “There is something about the way ‘Bitterroot’ wants to hold and share this one specific family experience from this one specific Hmong community that I hope exemplifies this.
“I wrote this script with a lot of consultation and feedback with collaborators as well as actors and the Missoula Hmong community. We shared story outlines and got their thoughts on what felt right and what didn’t. We listened and made adjustments because authenticity was the goal.”
Brunner-Sung said the dynamic between the mother and son in the story came from conversations with them and the translator.
“I wrote the script in English, and some of it did not make sense in Hmong. The story was the result of listening to the folks I had the privilege of connecting with to understand what might feel real. And what might resonate. The project took many years.
“I am attracted to loner characters,” Brunner-Sung continued. “I knew there would be a lone man and there would be a process of discovery in understanding who he was and his relationship with his family and community.”
Brunner-Sung said she feels motivated to make films that are a way to connect with people. “The process behind the camera as well as the sharing of the finished film is a way to communicate and connect across our differences and distances,” she explained. “The characters may have very human flaws and struggles. I don’t know if I come with the intention of making the characters likable, but I want to be honest.”
Experimental, documentary and narrative films are all a part of Brunner-Sung’s interest. “I like them all, but a feature film can be so different from a 10-minute film. Sometimes you have an 86-minute idea, and sometimes a 16-minute idea.”
Brunner-Sung said “Bitterroot” will be showing at festivals and in Hmong communities, then go to distribution so people will have the opportunity to see it on the big screen.
“For me, film-making is about the connection both in front of and behind the camera,” Brunner-Sung said. “That is especially true for ‘Bitterroot.’ This project involved a lot of trust and collaborative effort, and I’m just really proud of what we accomplished together. I can’t wait for audiences to see it.”