To Whom It May Concern: Ka Shen's Journey (Chinese: 家倩的人生之旅) is a 2009 docudrama about actress Nancy Kwan.
In Cambodia's 12th-century temple Angkor Wat, Kwan grapples with the death of her son, Bernie Pock, from AIDS at the age of 33 in 1996.
[6] Pondering why studios made this decision, he was fascinated in 1960 when he watched The World of Suzie Wong by how Kwan became the first Asian lead in a Hollywood film.
[6] In 2000, Jamieson began trying to convince his colleagues to re-release three of Nancy Kwan's films, The Main Attraction, Honeymoon Hotel and Tamahine.
In addition to The Main Attraction, Honeymoon Hotel, Tamahine, all of which were owned by Warner Bros., Jamieson intended to include The World of Suzie Wong and Flower Drum Song.
Jamieson met Kwan through her niece, Veronica Kwan-Rubinek, a financial analyst at Warner Bros. beginning in 1987.
The lunch lasted three hours and the two met later multiple times at the Sportsmen's Lodge to discuss how to order the film.
The greeting "to whom it may concern" is a connection to a crucial phrase in the 1960 film The World of Suzie Wong, in which Kwan starred.
After traveling to Tokyo to attend their film festival in 2005, Jamieson visited Hong Kong for a brief period of time.
[2] Born to a Chinese architect and a Scottish model, Nancy Kwan was more interested in dancing than acting.
After returning to Hong Kong from London, she mingled with people who were in a fervor that Hollywood's The World of Suzie Wong would be filmed there.
Following the withdrawal from contention of France Nuyen, who played Suzie Wong on Broadway, Kwan auditioned for the role, clinching it.
[2] When Kwan was cast in the lead role for the 1961 Flower Drum Song, she seemed to be in an era in which Asian actors were embraced.
[12] Director Brian Jamieson transitions from Kwan's stardom to her absolute love for her son, Bernhard Pock.
[2] To Whom It May Concern depicted Nancy Kwan contending with the heartbreaking death of her son, Bernie, in 1996 at the age of 33.
Taking her to Cambodia on a spiritual trip, where she strode around the ruins of Angkor Wat, Jamieson convinced her to talk about the disheartening experience.
[2] Sophia Dembling of the Dallas Observer agreed with Edwards that she preferred "fewer uncomfortably close shots" of Kwan's attendance at the Hong Kong Ballet adaptation.
Dembling also wrote that the footage of Hong Kong before and during war was "fascinating" and that scenes from Kwan's movies and interviews were "interesting".
Kwan, a dancer–actress, observes the dance performance, deliberating about " intertwining connections between her signature role and the tragic consequences of her post-movie star life.
He wrote, "The movie isn't merely a visual fan letter to a beautiful actress—it's perhaps the ultimate depiction of life imitating art."
According to the World Journal, Chinese people, who are bound by traditional ideas, frequently delay treatment for AIDS.
Monterey, California, city councilman Mitchell Ing, stated that Kwan, whose son died of AIDS, hopes that the issue will gain more exposure when people watch the film.
[22] The Chinese American Museum screened both the documentary and The World of Suzie Wong at the AMC Monterey Park on May 22, 2011.