Directed by Alice Gu

The Donut King is not just your standard heart-warming, rags to riches story; it is a glimpse into the challenges and uncertainty faced by refugees as they adapt to new ways of living and being in a foreign land.

The story follows Cambodian refugee, Ted Ngoy and his family’s journey to success in the 24-hour-hustle that is Los Angeles, California.

Arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs, Ted Ngoy and family rose to own approximately 60 donut stores on the West Coast of the US. Their success did not come about by chance, or luck, or some fancy divination – it was born out of long hours of hard work. On hearing their stories of what they fled in Cambodia, it is easy to see where their work ethic came from.

The Donut King makes some important statements around the importance of giving refugees true opportunities to create new lives in new places. It can be hard to invest in a place when you know your stay may be temporary, this film shows just how differently our governments managed refugee crises in the late 1970s.

The film also highlights the challenges faced by immigrants to assimilate, to understand the workings of a new country, the learning of new languages and etiquette etc these challenges may not be broadly understood amongst non-migrant communities and I feel films like this hold an important place in expanding our understanding of the world around us and how different our experiences of it are.

I enjoyed this film immensely, it didn’t take sides, it didn’t pedestalise its interview subjects. It provided an unbiased glimpse into the lives of proud Cambodian Americans, their struggles and their triumphs.

The Donut King is showing exclusively on DocPlay from October 14.

Moviedoc thanks Madman for the screener link to watch and review this film.

Review by Jemma for Moviedoc

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