A film about the goodness of humans, the grace of forgiveness and the power of redemption
Same Same But Different tells the compelling story of American Veterans who have returned to Vietnam in an effort to mitigate the damage they wrought as young soldiers over forty years ago. Through interviews and conversations, the pain and the hope these men carry is revealed in understated and tender ways. Their commitment to doing good work on the home ground of their former enemies is testament to the human need for spiritual reconciliation. The generous reception by their former enemies is testament to the human capacity for forgiveness.
Over a five-year period, filmmakers Moisés González and Deryle Perryman made multiple trips to Vietnam to learn about the work of American Veterans including Chuck Searcy, Chuck Palazzo, and Suel Jones. Perryman, American Veteran, broke bread with soldiers from Battalion 209, People’s Army of Vietnam, and we see the men laugh and embrace one another, saying, “Thank you for not killing me!”
The story of Same Same But Different is made finer by a heart-pounding and sometimes heart-wrenching soundtrack by musicians Terry Allen, Harry Manx, Greyhound Soul, Roxy Gordon, and Vietnam Veteran Jim Hagerman. From the earliest conception of the film, the filmmakers wanted the music that has chronicled the war to play like an additional character, bearing witness to the lives of these men and giving voice to things that are otherwise too hard to speak.
Same Same But Different is an honest and unsentimental account of both the grief of war and the peace that is possible through good work, reconciliation, and forgiveness.