Bronze - Walk Run Cha Cha

Oscar Tidbit: Nominated for Best Short Documentary in 2020, this film competed alongside In the Absence, Life Overtakes Me, and St. Louis Superman. The well-deserved winner that year was Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl).

 This documentary, crafted over six years, takes the time necessary to truly capture the nuances and quiet depth of Paul and Millie Cao’s love story. Their journey is one shaped by history—both personal and political—yet the film does not dwell on the trauma of displacement or the struggles of being uprooted from one’s homeland. Instead, it tells a tender, deeply human story of two people who have grown old together after leaving Vietnam, finding new ways to connect and rediscover themselves through dance.

Paul Cao was a young adult when war fractured his home country, forcing him to leave his girlfriend, Millie, behind while he sought refuge in the United States. Separated for more than six years, they were finally reunited in California, where they built a life together. Now, forty years later, they live in Southern California, embracing a new chapter—one where dance becomes a way to reclaim lost time, navigate unspoken emotions, and deepen their bond.

 I love watching people dance, and seeing Paul and Millie step onto the dance floor, rewriting the narrative of their past through movement, is nothing short of stunning. Their final performance is a culmination of years of resilience and love—an unspoken dialogue of steps and gestures that transcends time, distance, and history. It’s a breathtaking testament to love’s quiet endurance.