Heaven & Earth (1993)

Heaven & Earth (1993) is an American biographical war drama film written and directed by Oliver Stone. The story centers around Le Ly, a young girl living in a Vietnamese village during the time of political unrest. Her life is forever altered when communist insurgents arrive to defend against French and American forces. As the conflict escalates, Le Ly is taken prisoner by South Vietnamese soldiers who accuse her of being a spy for the North. This accusation causes her to lose the trust of her village, leading to her family’s relocation to Saigon. In Saigon, Le Ly finds work with a family where she becomes involved with the master of the household. Despite his seemingly kind gestures, he ultimately deceives her and she becomes pregnant by him.

After the master’s wife explodes with anger, Le Ly and her entire family are forced to return to their former province. It is there that she crosses paths with Steve Butler, a Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps. Despite her initial disinterest in dating or marriage due to her past struggles, Steve falls for Le Ly and treats her with great care, greatly impacting her life in Vietnam. As they leave the country and settle in San Diego, their relationship starts off smoothly, but Steve’s experiences of violence during the war cause him to become uncontrollably aggressive. Despite Le Ly’s efforts to reconcile with him, their love deteriorates. In a heartfelt plea for Steve to reunite with her, he tragically takes his own life. Years later, after this painful ordeal, Le Ly returns to Vietnam with her sons.