A Grieving Family is Haunted by History in ‘Rock Springs’ —Sundance

Storytellers are an important group of people. They are gifted in sharing tales that inspire, entertain, foster emotions, and sometimes educate. As a filmmaker, writer-director Vera Miao is part of this special group. For her feature debut, she shares a ghost story that is rooted in historical context, shedding light on a devastating event by giving it reverence and its victims a modern voice.

Grace (Aria Kim) is a young girl who has recently lost her father. As a result of her grief, she no longer speaks, especially to her mother, Emily (Kelly Marie Tran). To start a new chapter of life, they move along with Grace’s grandmother, Nai Nai (Fiona Fu), to a new home in quiet Rock Springs, Wyoming. Still deep in grief, the three of them struggle to communicate. Emily, being a Vietnamese American, can’t understand her Chinese mother-in-law. So, she’s not aware that they moved during the month of hungry ghosts.

While exploring their small town, Emily and Grace happen upon a yard sale. It’s there that Grace finds a doll and liberates it from the yard without her mother knowing. With her new doll in tow, Grace feels drawn into the forest near her new home. But what begins as childhood curiosity takes a dark turn as inexplicable things begin to happen in and around the home.

Rock Springs is a bold feature debut for Miao. The film’s non-linear, multiple point of view format is ambitious, but the story itself suffers toward the end. We start from Grace’s point of view and then are sent back in time to the story’s historical influence. On September 12, 1885, white coal miners surrounded and attacked Chinese immigrants. They beat them and burned their homes. While many were able to escape, there were those who were killed. The second act of the film shows us the fear and terror of those who never made it out.

The third act, told from Emily’s point of view, is where everything is supposed to come together. While Tran’s performance is incredible, the story loses a bit of potency. It’s hard to tell if it’s because of the film’s format or if there’s some additional context missing or both. But, there is a difference in feel between the first act and the last. By the time we get there, the suspense isn’t as effective.

Miao’s haunting debut, Rock Springs, is really a story of grief. While the family grieves one loss, grief itself is personified into a monster that doesn’t need to be slain, but acknowledged. There is a fading of intensity as you near the end of the film; the performances are good, and the intent is there. It will be interesting to see what Miao does next.