Alamo Bay

Set along the Texas coast between 1979 and 1981, ALAMO BAY focuses on the tensions caused by an influx of some 15,000 Vietnamese refugees. The profits of the Alamo Bay shrimp fishermen are dwindling as more and more Vietnamese take to the waters. Hired by Donald Moffat--a hard-working, liberal-minded shrimp supplier--the refugees set up a small community and try their best to fit in. Trouble begins when a bank threatens to repossess Ed Harris' shrimp boat. Harris and his fellow shrimpers begin to pressure Moffat to get rid of his refugee employees, and the community soon turns into a battleground. ALAMO BAY is an honest, unflattering study of American racism, which works largely because the issues are grounded within a personal context. Director Louis Malle ably captures the bay atmosphere with superb photography and convincing casting. (official distributor synopsis)