Technically exceptional but overlong and somewhat meandering, this Vietnamese Cannes Camera d’Or-winning work takes a leaf out of Weerasethakul’s slow cinema playbook, as a man must process and reflect on loss after an unexpected death in the family.
Shot entirely on a soundstage in France, this Cannes Camera d’Or-winner put Vietnamese cinema on the world map, as Tran straddled between formal artistry and the artifice of cultural self-exotification in this quaint film about a quiet servant-girl working for an affluent family.
‘Bride kidnapping’ continues to exist in the Hmong’s cultural tradition as this beautifully shot, eye-opening Vietnamese documentary shows us with raw authenticity and empathy the life of a 12-year-old Hmong girl pushed towards the fate of a prospective marriage.
Visually engaging, narratively sparse and occasionally surreal, this unique portrait of the lonely and the poor through the nearly silent interactions between a Nigerian man and four Vietnamese women ultimately peters out.
Continue reading →A sensual debut feature from Vietnam that explores the impact of an ultra-patriarchal community on its sufferable women, with beautiful and naturalistic cinematography to boot.
Eternality Tan 