A filmmaker confronts her Chinese family’s trauma and questions whether the cycle can end.
Independent Lens “Light of the Setting Sun” airs Monday, May 18 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the PBS and WXXI apps.
A Chinese family’s multigenerational trauma unfolds across time, place, and identity. Turning the camera inward, filmmaker Vicky Du traces her family’s mental illness back to the Chinese Communist Revolution of 1949. Spanning Taipei, Taiwan, and New Jersey, Light of the Setting Sun explores identity, gender roles, and whether healing can break the cycle for future generations.