Some documentaries come along about your country’s history that just takes you by surprise; He Vanished in 1946 is one of those documentaries. An utterly fascinating and compelling film.
Peter Foo last saw his father in 1946, when he was 2 years old. 50 years later, Peter found out that his father was a Chinese sailor recruited by British Merchant Navy during WWII. In 1946, the British Government secretly repatriated almost all Chinese sailors in Liverpool, and none of their families were told. His father was one of those approximately 20.000 sailors. Peter has kept asking for an apology from the Government for more than 15 years. After this long exhausting journey with no result, a great sense of loss ruins his life.
I will be honest: I knew absolutely zilch about the British Merchant Navy recruiting Chinese sailors during WWII, never mind how they recruited around 20,000 Chinese men in 1940 to fill the roles on cargo ships, tankers, and anything that went into the sea. But also learned that after the war, the men that had started a new life in the UK and did their duty to help the Allied forces were dumped anywhere and everywhere in Asia. Suddenly, as captivated as you are by the documentary, shame and sorrow soon rise to the surface.
Yet, as He Vanished in 1946 continues, somehow, those emotions continue to rise up within you. Documents were tossed away for 50 years, literally in this case, as they were sent to a different continent. You get the feeling, and Peter cements this, that the Government wanted to hide their dirty secret, no matter the cost and damage done to those left behind.
The damage done to people like Peter is evident right away, he informs us how his mother moved away when he was still a teenager, and he was effectively raised by his middle brother, who in turn became the father he never had. The unanswered questions linger on in their heads, the where, why and how’s of what happened to his father, and others’ fathers refuse to go away. In contrast, he and the other children affected are still alive. However, this is a student film and a very accomplished one at that, from Muzhi Zhang. There is little prodding as he asks the questions, more just attempting to learn or educate himself and the audience as to what happened during this time and the ramifications of it.
The only downside to He Vanished in 1946 is that there is no discernible ending as we go back to Peter and see the damage that the seamen’s children were tossed to the side by the Government and public called prostitutes. There is an insurmountable level of pain echoing through He Vanished in 1946; that 30 minutes really does not do it justice. That is the main issue with the documentary, in truth. This is a documentary or story that needs to be something far longer. We need to learn more about each person who is still alive to hear their story. To allow them the chance to have their voices heard when the Government fought for years to keep it under the rug. As Peter states, it has felt like they have been waiting for these men and women to die; thankfully, that will not be the case. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t highlight the disgraceful skeletons that still hide in the UK Government’s closet.
For more information on Odyssey: A Chinese Cinema Season click here
For other films reviewed from the Season, please see below!
Searching For The Coral Paradise
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