Jimmy in Saigon

Director Peter McDowell was just five years old when his brother Jimmy, a Vietnam veteran, died in Saigon at the age of 24. In the decades that followed Jimmy’s tragic passing, his name was rarely mentioned by his grief-stricken family, nor was his cause of death ever truly determined. Frustrated by the secrecy – and possible shame – of his parents and desperate to uncover the mysteries surrounding both Jimmy’s life and his death, Peter ventures on a quest for the truth in an effort to finally get to know the brother he barely remembers. Piecing together fragments of information from old photographs, letters and interviews with those closest to Jimmy, McDowell’s elegiac documentary is a beautifully crafted and heartfelt commemoration of a queer life nearly forgotten.

Michael Blyth

We are pleased to announce an additional screening of this title. Tickets on sale Thu 10 Mar to BFI Patrons, Champions and Members from 11:30 and on general sale from 12:30.