Last Days in Vietnam

April 1975, Saigon. As the North Vietnamese army closes on the city, the American embassy is not ready to evacuate. The ambassador refuses to accept it until the last moment. Soldiers and diplomats on the ground begin, against orders, to get thousands of Vietnamese out on their own initiative. Rory Kennedy directed. The documentary is built almost entirely on archive footage and the accounts of people who were there, Henry Kissinger among them. Its idea is the gap between orders and conscience: while lists exist of who may be taken out, people on the ground decide without consulting them, and as a result many are saved and many are left. The helicopters landing on ships and being pushed into the sea, and the crowd climbing the embassy wall, are its best-known images. It was nominated for the documentary feature Oscar. The account is built from the American point of view and Vietnamese voices remain limited. Who it is for: viewers who like recent history documentaries and archive storytelling. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a balanced historical reading; the film looks from one side.