“New Wave” explores a lifeline for Vietnamese-Americans
- La Voz Latina
- Oct 2
- 3 min read
Written by: Sophia da Silva 🇧🇷
When the Eurodisco tracks of the ‘80s made their way across the Atlantic, their synth-y sound miscategorized them as new wave with the likes of Depeche Mode and The B-52’s. The new label stuck and this subgenre of music became an unlikely lifeline for young Vietnamese-Americans in the 1980s. This connection is what Elizabeth Ai’s documentary “New Wave” is all about.
Ai’s film debuted last summer at the Tribeca Festival. This month, “New Wave” came to the University of Maryland with a screening in Ulrich Recital Hall, located in Tawes Hall. The event was put together by the Asian American Studies Program with the help of UMD alum, Vu Nguyen.
“My uncle growing up was a big new wave fan and so when I got rides with him and such as, we were always listening to new wave,” said Nguyen.
His experience with new wave is very similar to Ai’s who grew up riding around with her aunt’s friends to a new wave sound track. Nguyen immediately resonated with the film when he saw a screening in California last Thanksgiving.
“After I saw the documentary I said, ‘man, my kids have to see this, my cousins need to see this, my family members need to see it,” said Nguyen.
He reached out to Ai to set up a screening in the DMV and help her reach her goal of 50 screenings, one for each year since the fall of Saigon.
Nguyen then contacted the Asian American Studies Program Director, Janelle Wong, who helped him make the event a reality.
“One of the things we hope is that this will bring generations of UMD students together,” she said.
Current students mingled with alumni and their families. New wave music rang throughout the Tawes lobby while guests inside wearing ponytails and ‘80s outfits giggled about "remember when” and “back in the day.”
Nguyen ran around snapping photos and even brought ‘80s cars for people to pose with, including a black BMW 320i with “ILUV80S” plates that matched the one his parents had when he was a kid.
The crowd trickled into the theater with a nostalgic excitement. Guests snapped photos together as they settled into their seats buzzing with anticipation. Then Nguyen and Wong started introductions to whoops and cheers.
The film explored how new wave was a vehicle for identity exploration for a new generation that wasn’t just Vietnamese or just American. The music gave birth to a subculture that provided an escape for young people as well as a space for them to offer support to each other.
Behind the glitz is a story that comes with its own pain, as trauma from the Vietnam War reared its head. Young people were stuck between families they struggled to relate to and navigating a new country that didn’t accept them.
In Ai’s exploration of the new wave subculture, she found a story that was similar to her own family: A story of trauma inherited from the war that put a wall between families.
By the time the lights came on, scattered sniffles and muffled sobs proved that this experience was all too familiar.
Minh-Thuy Nguyen was there with her sister on their own journey to understand what their parents went through.
“It was cathartic, in a way, to just see another glimpse of the trauma of the war,” said Nguyen. “I know music saves, but I didn't realize that this in particular had more or less saved a whole generation.”
Details about a digital release are coming later this year on “New Wave’s” Instagram.
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