Blush of Fruit

Tong Phuoc Phuc runs an orphanage in Vietnam. He is strongly opposed to abortion and persuades women with unwanted pregnancies to help him bring up the toddlers in his care. His initiative receives universal praise and financial support. But Tong is being dogged by increasingly persistent rumors about neglect and mistreatment of the children, with donations going into his pocket rather than paying for diapers and food. This sometimes shocking film exposé shows daily life in the orphanage from a fly-on-the-wall perspective. Shot from the eye height of the film's subjects, the troubled tots, the camera reveals how their young caregivers are often harsh and indifferent. Jakeb Anhvu gets across just how cruel the place is for the orphans without commentary or emotionally charged music. Like a "nanny cam," the camera observes as the tiny children are tormented and beaten, and reveals how the unhappy, frustrated and pregnant caregivers are overwhelmed by their workload. Tong himself rarely appears on-screen as we see how a project that began so idealistically has deteriorated into a hell for the orphans.