It is a tough, life-threatening trip of hardship and endurance, filled with adventure and danger. Director Hans Petter Moland has done a superb job of filming the tale, and Sabina Murray’s screenplay is a carefully woven narrative, at least until the ending when it gets too precious and artsy in a manner that undercuts the realism we have experienced until then.

But most of the way this is an excellent film enhanced by strong performances, not only by Nguyen, but, for example, by Thi Kim Xuan as Mai, his mother, working as a domestic under harsh conditions, whom he must first locate to find a clue as to his father. Circumstances cause Bihn to flee, and his mother gives him most of her savings and urges him to take along her other very young son, Tam (Tran Dang Quoc Thinh). He tries his best to be protective of Tam during their harrowing exploits.

Another key character is a young Chinese woman Ling (Bai Ling), who earns money through prostitution. She and Binh become close, and circumstances eventually lead to their being smuggled on a ship captained by Oh (Tim Roth). The conditions aboard are terrible as they are exploited by Snakehead (Temuera Morrison).

The complications in the screenplay are too convoluted to describe here, and in any event, it is better for the viewer not to have everything revealed. But when Binh finally does locate his blind ranch hand father, Steve, played by Nick Nolte, the screenplay doesn’t have them deal with the situation directly. Binh has come so far, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, and yet he doesn’t identify himself. We are meant to accept an understanding without words, and it just isn’t believable that Binh would not say “I’m your son from Vietnam” and the relationship go on from there. The ending is too contrived in relation to all that has preceded it.