Her passport said she was Cha Jung Hee. She knew she was not. So began a 40-year deception for a Korean adoptee who came to the U.S. in 1966. Told to keep her true identity secret from her new American family, this 8-year-old quickly forgot she was ever anyone else. But why had her identity been switched? And who was the real Cha Jung Hee? IN THE MATTER OF CHA JUNG HEE is the search to find the answers, as acclaimed filmmaker Deann Borshay Liem (FIRST PERSON PLURAL, POV 2000) returns to her native Korea to find her “double,” the mysterious girl whose place she took in America.
PRECIOUS OBJECTS OF DESIRE explores international adoption through the personal stories of Korean adoptees raised by families in the U.S., France, Sweden and other European countries. The film tells the story of Korean orphans who served as "mascots" for the American military during the Korean War, bi-racial children who were the first to be adopted by Western families in the 1950's and 60's, as well as the story of Korean children sent overseas decades after the Korean War. PRECIOUS OBJECTS OF DESIRE will probe beneath the surface of the lives of these individuals to discern the multiple dimensions of their stories, the historical forces that have made these individuals a community, and the lessons on war and peace, family and society, that this community has to share with others.
The Korean War (1950-1953) was devastating. It pitted the United States, South Korea, and 16 other countries in what the United Nations called a "police action" against North Korea and China. A mere three years of fighting resulted in 3 million civilian deaths, nearly 2 million combat deaths and casualties, the decimation of Korea's natural and social infrastructure, and national division separating 10 million Koreans from family members for over a half century. At the conclusion of the fighting, Korea lay in ruins. But the war never ended.
In 1966, Deann Borshay Liem was adopted by an American family and was sent from Korea to her new home. Growing up in California, the memory of her birth family was nearly obliterated until recurring dreams lead Deann to discover the truth: her Korean mother was very much alive. Bravely uniting her biological and adoptive families, Deann's heartfelt journey makes First Person Plural a poignant essay on family, loss, and the reconciling of two identities.
First Person Plural was broadcast nationally on PBS in December, 2000, through the award-winning documentary series, Point of View (POV). The film will have an encore presentation on PBS on August 10, 2010. We invite you to explore the film’s official website for in-depth information about the program.
