The Brief

Whether it’s TV, film or books, the Vietnam War and its aftermath are often told through the eyes of American GI’s.

But nearly 50 years after the fall of Saigon, some Vietnamese American storytellers are changing up the narrative.

“What was I going to do — rehash the Vietnam War?" said filmmaker Elizabeth Ai. "That wasn't in my history at all.”

Instead, in her new documentary “New Wave,” Ai delves into the 80’s music that teenage Vietnamese refugees embraced as they searched for belonging in their new country.

The Vietnamese New Wave movement saw teens and young adults adopting mohawks and teasing their bangs with Aqua Net.

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Courtesy of New Wave

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“New Wave,” playing at the Laemmle in Glendale through Thursday, turns out to be more than a music documentary. It’s also a meditation on family, trauma and healing.

The years-long making of the documentary – and a companion book called “New Wave: Rebellion and Invention in the Vietnamese Diaspora” set Ai on a personal journey. More than mid-way through, she found herself moving from behind the camera to being on camera.

“It was a VH1 Behind the Music documentary that turned into something else,” Ai said.

A Secret World

Six years ago, Ai was looking for a project to do during maternity leave — she’s a self-described workaholic — and knew she wanted to make a film about the Vietnamese American community. She dug through old family photos, some in photo albums, others stored in suitcases.

The photos that popped out to AI were of her uncles and aunts who fled with their family to the U.S. as children before she was born. They came of age in the 80s, wearing heavy eyeliner and teased their hair mile-high.

Elizabeth Ai was raised by young relatives like her aunt, Myra.

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Courtesy of Elizabeth Ai

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They listened to U.K. New Wave bands like New Order and Depeche Mode. But what they really loved was the synth-pop coming from Italy and Germany, known as Eurodisco, exemplified by acts such as Modern Talking, C.C. Catch and Bad Boy Blues.

“It was the deep cuts,” Ai said. “They felt like this was their own little secret world.”

The music inspired a Vietnamese New Wave movement, centered in Little Saigon.

Singers would put their own spin on European hits when they went on Vietnamese-language entertainment shows produced in Little Saigon, the most famous being Paris By Night.

Lynda Trang Dai was one of the top stars of the Vietnamese New Wave movement.

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Courtesy of Nancy Nguyen

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And the biggest star was Lynda Trang Dai, who dressed in bodysuits and bustiers reminiscent of the Material Girl.

“Lynda is the Vietnamese Madonna, and she represented so much to this community through being the artist that covered all the top hits,” Ai said.

Looking in the mirror

Dai’s chirpy cover of C.C. Catch's “Jump in My Car” was part of the soundtrack to Ai’s childhood in the San Gabriel Valley, where her teenage aunts and uncles were her de facto parents.

Ai’s dad was out of the picture. Her mom was never home because she was busy moving around Southern California, opening nail salons — more than a dozen by Ai’s count.

“She would help other relatives start a salon, and then be like, ‘Okay, you take it over,’” Ai said. “She would get it to a certain place where there was clientele, and she would move on and open another one.”

Her mother’s absence left Ai feeling abandoned. The distance between them stretched into adulthood. They’d go for years without talking or seeing each other.

In the course of making "New Wave," Elizabeth Ai crowdsourced photos of New Wavers from around the world.

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Thái Tài

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“I try not to think about like what it would have been like to have had a mom, because those are just kind of infinite possibilities,” Ai said.

But as Ai suppressed those feelings, she kept hearing about similar experiences from the New Wavers she interviewed for the film. Many had gravitated to the music scene because they were looking for a second family.

“They didn’t have parents who were present in their lives,” Ai said. “Either they were separated or they would be present, but they would be working around the clock and trying to figure out how to learn English at night.”

Ai began to see her family in her subjects. There were so many parallels between her mom and Dai, the Vietnamese Madonna. Dai too was the breadwinner for her family. To keep performing, she would often leave her young son in the care of relatives.

“All of a sudden, unraveling their stories led me to my own,” Ai said.

That’s when Ai, at the gentle prodding of her producing team, turned the camera on herself.

Reconciliation

The film shows Ai reaching out to her mother, whom she hadn’t seen for a decade by that point.

It was scary to share anything about her life, “let alone air my family's dirty laundry.'"

"What I've been told my whole life is 'You don't talk about this,'" Ai said. "Everything is about saving face.”

Filmmaker Elizabeth Ai made "New Wave" over six years.

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Yudi Echevarria

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But it was freeing to acknowledge the family dysfunction — and to work through it. The film shows Ai and her mom reuniting far from Southern California — in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where her mother had moved.

Since the film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival this summer, Ai’s not only heard from New Wavers, but others grappling with family trauma.

“People [are] telling me 'I am estranged from my sister',” Ai said. “Some guy told me, ‘Oh, now I know why my mom doesn't talk to her sister. Auntie is out of our lives.’”

Ai started out thinking she was making the film for her community and her daughter, now five. While that's true, the film is also for her.

“I got to know my mom, and it's healing for me,” Ai said. “I made something and I learned so much about myself that I never would have had I not done it.”

California Attorney General Rob Bonta provided guidance this week to childcare providers on new legal requirements to protect children and their families from immigration enforcement activities.

Under a new law that went into effect this year, childcare providers are not allowed to collect information about a child's or family member’s immigration status, unless necessary under state or federal law. Bonta’s office says there currently is no such requirement, though that could change with federal programs like Head Start.

“Childcare and preschool facilities should be safe and secure spaces so children can grow, learn and simply be children,” Bonta said in a statement.

His office says daycare centers also should not keep information about a formerly enrolled child longer than is required by state law.

The new law also requires facilities to inform the attorney general’s office and the state’s licensing agency if they get any requests for information from law enforcement related to immigration enforcement.

Facilities also must ask families to regularly update a child’s emergency contact information to make sure someone can be reached in case a parent is detained by federal immigration officials.

The Santa Ana winds are here to welcome us into the weekend, bringing warmer temperatures.

The winds will reach Point Mugu to the Santa Clarita Valley, down to Orange County and parts of the Inland Empire valleys and foothills east of the 5 Freeway.

Peak gusts are expected to reach 35 to 55 mph. The western San Gabriel Mountains, Highway 14 corridor, Santa Susana Mountains and the western Santa Monica Mountains are under a high wind warning until 6 p.m., when gusts could reach 65 mph.

As for temperatures, highs for L.A. County beaches will reach the upper 70s and up to the low 80s for inland areas.

Parts of Orange County and Coachella Valley will see temperatures in the mid- to upper 80s, with the warmest areas expected to reach 88 degrees.

Getting together with friends at a bar or pub tends to get a lot harder when children and needy pets enter the mix. One solution — Breweries! Beer gardens! Brewpubs!

Because parents (of kids and pets) want to go out, too — and not necessarily to a fast food restaurant with an indoor playground and no beer.

Thankfully, the Orange County suburbs where I live have gotten on board with my family- and pet-friendly craft brewery dreams. The key ingredients for me are spacious patios, a water bowl for the pooch, and food — either made onsite or, at the least, easy and quick to order and get delivered from somewhere else. Board and pub games are an added bonus.

Plus, of course, great beer from small, independent, local breweries. On the beer front, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of beer I encountered on my self-arranged tour of breweries in the Costa Mesa-Huntington Beach area.

Gone are the dark, dank days of nothing but IPA (IYKYK); now, you can find everything from pickle-tinged blondes, to mild sours, to rich and creamy stouts. If you’re not a big beer fan, every place I visited also had their own craft-made hard seltzers on the menu, as well as some non-alcoholic beverages.

Here are some of my favorites:

Riip (Huntington Beach)

Riip in Huntington Beach has two spots with full kitchens specializing in pizza and a wide variety of IPAs and other beer styles.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Riip has been a family favorite since the company opened its first tasting room in Sunset Beach in 2015, with board games and tables the kids could write on. They have since expanded a lot, with a pizzeria next door and another location near Fountain Valley, which also serves excellent pizza, and has a small arcade to keep the kiddos busy.

One thing they do especially well: For serious IPA drinkers, Riip is your place. They usually have at least half a dozen different IPAs on tap, along with a decent variety of other beers, lighter and darker.

This place is great for … dinner after the kids’ [insert sport] game. Also for date night.

At Flashpoint Brewing Company in Huntington Beach, you can check out the brewing vats and other machinery up close while enjoying the results.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Flashpoint Brewing Co. (Huntington Beach)

I only recently discovered Flashpoint, which opened in 2020 on an industrial street near Huntington Beach Central Park. I actually love this aspect of craft brewery taprooms: they’re often located outside of trendy food and retail areas because they need to be able to actually brew beer there as well as serve it.

Flashpoint has a big patio lit with fairy lights. The tall doors of their brewing area, and an adjacent room with the taps and more tables are rolled up during opening hours, giving it a spacious, indoor-outdoor feel.

One thing they do especially well: All the beers I tried were highly drinkable. In other words, not crazy hoppy or overly heavy on flavors. The nectarine sour was especially good, refreshing with just the right amount of tartness.

This place is great for … An early evening toast, watching the clouds turn pink.

Green Cheek Beer Co. in Costa Mesa serves great beer and food, including shareable, snackable items like pad thai cauliflower.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Green Cheek Beer Co. (Costa Mesa)

Green Cheek Beer Co. now has three locations in Orange County and one in Oceanside. Their Costa Mesa spot is conveniently located not far from the city’s Bark Park. So, naturally, after my pooch has fun, I deserve a cold one.

Green Cheek has a huge covered patio filled with long picnic tables. My dog, Ace, was very happy to find a bowl of water set out for their canine visitors, and lots of pets from the humans.

One thing they do especially well: Green Cheek makes great beer. But what I love most about their Costa Mesa spot is that you can soak up the alcohol with food, including smash burgers, tots, and pad thai cauliflower, from their good and reliably fast kitchen.

This place is great for … reading a book, or making a new friend! Their long picnic tables make it easy to opt in or out of the surrounding social scene.

Bootlegger's Brewery outside the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa has a quiet patio for day drinking, and a lively trivia night scene.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Bootlegger’s Brewery (Costa Mesa)

Within walking distance of Green Cheek is Bootlegger’s Brewery. Bootlegger’s started in Fullerton, and now also has tasting rooms in Costa Mesa and Redlands.

Their Costa Mesa spot is on the outskirts of the LAB Anti-Mall, a collection of small businesses and restaurants, at least one of which will deliver food to your table. A section of the parking lot has been turned into a nice outdoor patio with sun shades for daytime and heat lamps for chillier evening hours.

One thing they do especially well: Their Kosher Crusher pickle blonde ale. They debuted it last fall and it is seriously good — light, refreshing, and just a little bit zesty.

This place is great for … “working” on a Friday afternoon (I was not the only one there typing one-handed on my laptop with a beer in the other), and then inviting friends to join you for happy hour.

There's an ambiance for everyone at Salty Bear Brewing Co. in Costa Mesa.

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Jill Replogle

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LAist

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Salty Bear Brewing Company

Salty Bear is part of The Camp, an uber-cool retail and restaurant complex also within walking distance of Green Cheek and Bootlegger’s (you can do a tasting tour!).

Salty Bear is worth a visit for the aesthetics alone. It has a great bar with midcentury tiling and dimpled red leather. The sprawling, leafy outdoor patio provides plenty of room for the kids to wander.

One thing they do especially well: Their Coastline Strawberry Blonde made me nostalgic for the fruity beers that got me hooked on craft beer in my 20s — but so much better.

This place is great for … Kickin’ it on the patio with friends, either listening to live music, or letting your kids practice performing on the teepee-themed outdoor stage.

Other options in OC south of the 405:

Steady Kitchen and Taps, 18055 Magnolia St, Fountain Valley

Synth Beer Company, 2960 Randolph Av, Costa Mesa

Brewing Reserve of California, 2930 College Ave D, Costa Mesa