Green Eyes

Lloyd Dubeck, Paul Winfield, is a Vietnam veteran whose body bears the marks of war, both seen and unseen. After being released from a VA hospital, he moves with a cane, struggles to find steady work, and feels increasingly out of place in a world that seems to have moved on without him. His mother, Royce Wallace as Mrs. Dubeck, has scrimped and saved from Lloyd’s Army pay and her own cleaning jobs to fund his education, only to watch him confront a restless ache that money cannot cure. The film follows Lloyd as he makes a fateful choice: to return to Saigon in search of Em Thuy, a Vietnamese woman with whom he fathered a child he has never met. The one concrete clue he has is a letter from Em Thuy describing their child as a boy with green eyes.

In Saigon, Lloyd’s path collides with a wary impossibility in the form of Trung, an orphan who approaches Lloyd with a startling claim: he is Lloyd’s son, and he points out the physical resemblance they share. The moment is mixed with mischief—Trung steals some money and Lloyd’s jacket, testing Lloyd’s resolve and trust. Yet Trung remains a constant presence, morphing into a guide of sorts who helps reintroduce Lloyd to old ties, including a former Army buddy, Jonathan Goldsmith as Noel Cousins. Noel has carved out a more comfortable life in Vietnam by faking his own death as a deserter, and he offers Lloyd practical advice on how to navigate the complex, perilous terrain of searching for Em Thuy and their child.

amid Lloyd’s personal quest unfolds a broader humanitarian arc. Lloyd befriends Margaret Sheen, Rita Tushingham, who runs a reception center for orphans. She paints a grim portrait of life for mixed‑race children and their mothers, who are often shunned; many children are abandoned and die as a result. Margaret’s insistence that Lloyd could, in effect, help a generation in crisis contrasts with the realization that his own search may be quixotic. She challenges him with a piercing line: > If you want a child, reach out. They’re all yours, all of them. Her stubborn optimism becomes a compass for Lloyd, pushing him to redirect his resources toward the thousands of street kids he encounters in the city, while a growing bond forms between them.

As the days unfold, Trung accompanies Lloyd on the uneasy journey, presenting himself in public as Lloyd’s son and mobilizing the attention of local communities. The pair move through crowded wards, makeshift clinics, and devastated neighborhoods, where Lloyd learns more about the human price of war and the fragility of family ties. Noel Cousins provides a steady if uneasy counsel, guiding Lloyd through the social labyrinth of Saigon and offering a practical framework for pursuing Em Thuy’s whereabouts. Despite the emotional toll, Lloyd remains steadfast in his desire to find the truth about his child and to do right by the people who cross his path.

The search reaches a crushing turn when Lloyd learns that Em Thuy’s baby is alive but not his; the infant belongs to another American serviceman, and Em Thuy herself has chosen a life apart from Lloyd’s world. Exiting Em Thuy’s hut, Lloyd discovers Trung has slipped away, leaving him with a renewed sense of responsibility and loss. Crushed by the setback yet unwilling to abandon the boy he has come to care for, Lloyd changes direction on his way to the airport. The moment of decision becomes a turning point: Lloyd finds Trung again and hears—through the boy’s own assignment of meaning—the quiet reassurance that there is a future still to be claimed.

The film closes with a restrained, poignant epilogue: Trung was among the last orphans allowed to leave Saigon, a note that lingers about how war’s legacies ripple through generations, reshaping identities, families, and the meaning of home. The story remains focused on Lloyd’s evolving sense of responsibility and his willingness to redefine what it means to be a father, a protector, and a man trying to make sense of a world that has been changed forever by conflict.

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 11:28