THE DONUT KING

US, 2020, 90 minutes, Colour.

Directed by Alice Gu.

A documentary about the American dream – but which, through a variety of episodes and moods, shows us the dream and the wonders of fulfilment, there is the ever-present danger of the dream turning to nightmare.

Film reviewers sometimes have to offer a caution, that they are personally involved in the narrative, or in the issues. In this case, the present reviewer has to confess to never having liked donuts! And, to say the least, here are 90 minutes of hundreds and hundreds of donuts, of all varieties – and more! So, these words from the rather detached point of view, at least from the perspective towards the donuts themselves.

We are in no doubt from the first 10 minutes of this documentary about the place of donuts in the American menu, sugar, icings and sweetness, and for the American psyche. Dunkin’ Donuts, Winchells, all kinds of donut shops and takeaway. But, there is the fascinating piece of information that it is Cambodian refugees since the 1970s who own and staff so many of these donut stores.

And, from icing exuberance suddenly to the history of Cambodia in the first half of the 1970s, the Vietnam war, its extension into Cambodia, Nixon and the extensive bombings, stopped by Congress, the rise of the Khmer Rouge, the massacre of populations, the enormous migration out of Cambodia, the status of the country by 1976 and the devastation of Phnom Penh. All presented powerfully and with a great deal of contemporary news footage.

So, this is not just a sweetness and tasty documentary.

We are introduced to a significant refugee and his family, wife and many children, extended family. He is uncle Ted, Ted Ngoy, who served in the Cambodian military in Bangkok, who is offered a flight by an American colleague, for refugee status in the United States. Throughout the film, uncle Ted, 77 at the time of filming, is interviewed, giving the background as to what happened, his extraordinary success with donuts, training, franchises, involving his whole family, and his ability to be a sponsor for so many Cambodians taking refuge in the United States, extending their work in providing donuts and being increasingly creative with recipes, cooking styles, decoration. The Cambodians, like the Vietnamese after the fall of Saigon, are nothing if not industrious (which might not give true acknowledgement to their seven-day a week, no holiday, commitment to their work and to the saving of money for the benefits of their family).

One of the commentators is a food and recipes’ journalist, a young man, who is able to comment on this phenomenon of Cambodians and donuts, especially in California. There are also interviews with the executives of Dunkin’ Donuts, Winchells, and other franchises. Which turns the documentary into something of a story of American enterprise within the American dream, the making of money, the investing of money, financial success. And other members from the Cambodian community are also interviewed. And, prominent among the interviewees is Uncle Ted’s wife, Christy, quite a vivacious personality, reminiscing about fleeing Cambodia, the flight, the camp, and her horror at being fed mashed potato and pasta!

One of the key features of the documentary as it looked backs at the 1970s is the contribution of President Gerald Ford and his welcoming the refugees, despite the apprehensions of California Governor Jerry Brown about jobs and workers, the quick establishing of Camp Pendleton and facilities for the refugees, Betty Ford going to the camp and addressing and welcoming them. (The implication, sometimes explicit, is that Americans in those times, despite fears and some xenophobia, were actually more welcoming than present America is to refugees.) Uncle Ted and his family were sponsored by a Lutheran parish reminding audiences of welfare groups, churches, and welcoming migrants, remembering that the United States was built on migrants.

One of the shocks of the film – and, therefore, not to be in included as a spoiler here – is that everything did not go smoothly for some of the migrants, especially problems with money, including heavy gambling, destruction of relationships… Which makes the story of The Donut King, a rather complex tale, not simply a fairytale interpretation of the American dream.

Donut fans will be glad to know that there have been extraordinary adaptation since the 1970s, Americans eating billions of donuts per year, an increasing range of designer donuts – and the visuals do not let up until the final credits!