The true story of Christina Noble, the Irishwoman who made it her mission to help the impoverished street children of Vietnam. Yes, it’s one of those uplifting, one-person-can-make-a-difference tales, so readily dismissed by cynical film critics like myself, our hearts hardened by years of Hollywood abuse. Fortunately, director Stephen Bradley largely avoids the pitfalls of inspirational biopic cliché, thanks to a taut script, and a performance from his wife, Deirdre O’Kane, in the lead role, that portrays Noble as a person, rather than a middle-class moviegoer’s moral pin-up.
From Noble’s childhood in her native Ireland, we follow the tough times that eventually led to her heading to Vietnam in 1989. Broke, but rich in ambition, her work to help the homeless children of Ho Chi Minh led eventually to her establishing a charity to house and feed the needy. Noble’s dogged pursuit of assistance from uncaring locals, bullish police, patronising politicians, and obstructive officials forms the film’s dramatic core.
In the manner of one-person-takes-on-the-system tales, from Silkwood to Erin Brockovich, it’s predictable, formulaic, but entertaining fare, if you allow yourself to be swept up in the movie’s melodramatic embrace. A task made all the easier by a superb supporting cast, Trevor Forrest’s sumptuous cinematography, and Ben Foster and Giles Martin’s scintillating score.
Shrug off the cynicism and remember that, no matter how unlikely, this is a true story, and Noble delivers an uplifting, inspirational tale of selfless individual triumph in the face of inhuman tragedy.
