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Thao's Library

2015 1h 28m Documentary List
Tomatometer 2 Reviews 100% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
After seeing pictures of a Vietnamese girl's makeshift library, an American woman who is battling depression travels to Vietnam to forge an unlikely bond across cultures.

Critics Reviews

View All (2) Critics Reviews
Tom Keogh Seattle Times A touching documentary about two individuals from different corners of the world finding a common cause and a chance to heal from life's crueler blows. Rated: 3/4 Oct 15, 2015 Full Review Avi Offer NYC Movie Guru Profoundly moving, inspirational and uplifting. It will restore your faith in humanity. Rated: 9/10 Oct 15, 2015 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Well done documentary dealing with the subject of depression and channeling that into something constructive. It also addresses other issue of people of special needs that use their God given talent to help others. We all need to take a lesson from this movie: do all the good you can do all the time. People are important and it's not what's on the outside so much as what's on the inside. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Some time ago, I came across the web site for Thao's Library completely by chance. I was randomly net surfing on some other topic which I've forgotten and found the film project's site, began looking through it and became absorbed. Like Elizabeth Van Meter, I had also lost someone very important in my life. For this reason, I think, Elizabeth's story of trying to recover from her own loss, of her sister, and looking for some purpose in her life resonated with me, and I became interested in this film project and kept an eye on it. I went to see it when it made it to the big screen for a limited run and to my great surprise it exceeded my expectations. I went in there not knowing what to expect but found a product that I felt was really well put together and told a great story, keeping me absorbed and making me forget where I was for however long it was. Nearly all of my trips to the theater involve watching things travel through time or invade the Earth or blow up, so really I bought a ticket to see it solely out of the desire to be supportive. I left thinking that I'd spent my time well in seeing a really good film. Before seeing it, I didn't know much about the story of the library, of Elizabeth's efforts and of how long the project took to accomplish, but it was inspiring. If you are reading this, I would love for you to give this a chance. Maybe you'll be inspired to re-find your focus if you've lost it, or maybe you'll be inspired to pay it forward in bigger ways than you are already doing so. Or maybe at the very least you'll just enjoy the feel good story. Ever since suffering my own loss, I've been trying to do similar to Elizabeth with paying it forward, to not let my personal loss and betrayal de-motivate me from ever helping anyone again. With all honesty, this film has re-motivated me into these personal efforts. It truly was inspiring. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review hardy c Ms van Meter deserves fulsome praise for what must have been a highly intense emotional experience making this film. I have to admit even I got misty eyed in spots. This documentary summarizes all that is horrible in humanity and everything that inspires us. Van Meter's retelling of her trauma following the death of her famous sister meshes nicely with her discovery of Thao's amazing determination to make a difference in other people's lives, despite the obscene damage done to her body by America's eternal legacy in Vietnam, Agent Orange. The ensuing connection and friendship between them, despite their linguistic gap, fulfills both of them in ways that are different and similar at the same time. This film will not delete the cynic in you but will make that doubter smile and cheer. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Thao's Library

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis After seeing pictures of a Vietnamese girl's makeshift library, an American woman who is battling depression travels to Vietnam to forge an unlikely bond across cultures.
Director
Elizabeth Van Meter
Producer
Elizabeth Van Meter
Screenwriter
Elizabeth Van Meter
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 6, 2017
Runtime
1h 28m