War and remembrance

Deepa Bharath

Christopher White has a passion for telling stories. The last one

he wrote made it to the big screen.

“Missing Brendan,” the saga of a family that journeys to Vietnam

to bring back the remains of its lost son and brother, premiered

Friday at the Laguna Hills Mall.

White, 46, will also offer a special screening of the film for

veterans tonight at the Laemmle Fairfax Theater in Los Angeles.

“At my age, I think a lot about how lucky I am not to have gone to

war,” the Corona del Mar resident said. “I’m lucky I didn’t have to

face the horrors of war -- you can get shot at, step on a landmine.

Not many people think about that.”

But White did, and from those thoughts of the dead, a reverence

was born in his mind for those who made it alive.

“I believe the people who went to Vietnam were just as brave as

those who went to World War II,” he said. “My film is dedicated to

everybody who has served the country.”

The film features Ed Asner as the father of Brendan, who embarks

on a quest for his son’s remains with his two surviving sons, one of

them a draft dodger. The film portrays the angst of the family,

especially the terminally ill father who yearns to bring home a piece

of himself lost in war and fulfill a promise to his dead wife.

The film is White’s first experience as a writer and producer. It

took him about two years to come up with the script and a little more

than a year to actually make the movie -- a joint venture he struck

up with his film institute buddies.

“I enjoyed the writing a lot more than I did producing,” he said.

“Everything they say about being a producer is true. It’s tough.”

White said he has had to be tenacious in his pursuit of success as

a filmmaker. He has been at it for about 12 years. He said he

overcame pressures to take over a multibillion-dollar family business

to woo his true love -- the art of cinema.

“I like to tell stories -- positive stories,” he said. “It gives

me the feeling that I’m reaching out to someone, that I’m

contributing something. I’m a very reflective person and writing

helps me express that part of myself. No amount of money can better

that feeling and any artist knows that.”

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at deepa.bharath@latimes.com.