The Leaves Keep Falling

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed some 12 million gallons of Agent Orange herbicide over Vietnam. This defoliant was used to immediately destroy crops, clear vegetation, and remove the dense forest that provided food and cover for Viet Cong forces. At least 4.5 million Vietnamese, and 2.5 million American veterans, may have been exposed to the herbicide. Although the spraying ended 40 years ago, the dioxin from Agent Orange is still wreaking havoc on three generations of victims. The Leaves Keep Falling is an intimate portrait of two Vietnamese families whose children are severely disabled due to exposure to the dioxin in Agent Orange. They are among millions of people who continue to suffer the devastating health and environmental consequences of the herbicide. The film takes place outside the city of Da Nang, a “hotspot” where dioxin levels are more than 365 times acceptable levels. Witness the day-to-day struggles of caring for victims of a war that won’t seem to end.