While watching this movie I was often reminded of the word lush. It is the lush emerald scenery, the lush colors, the lush texture of fabrics, the lush succulence of food...this film is a feast for the senses, a sight for sore eyes! With its mixture of the scents of summer and the moist coolness of rain, this is one of the most enchantingly atmospheric films I've ever seen! The cinematography is top-notch. Everything is filmed with the utmost care and patience. The lighting is brilliant! We don't have a conventional plot over here. It's sort of a 'phase' in the life of three sisters. A phase of feeling new things, experiencing new pleasures, realizing the strength of relationships and giving up oneself to the prevalent course of life, each sister rest assured that she can rely on her faith in her other two sisters and her own self-will to surmount all odds. All the characters have been rendered really well by the cast, especially by Tran Nu Yên-Khê who played Lien. The framing of each shot is aesthetically innovative, like when in the end after the three sisters cry on each other's shoulder, there is a shot of their bowed heads with the partings in their hair prominent. I thought that was a really good shot. The music is really nice too. The songs fuse in the life of the characters, becoming entities by themselves.
The amazing part of their culture is how well they balance modernity and tradition. If it were not for the tale-tell signs of modernity one would almost be fooled into thinking it to be a period piece. This film reminded me a lot of the beautiful Chinese film 'Postman in the Mountain' directed by Huo Jianqi which is equally good. This film with its emotional subtlety, its studied pace and aesthetic superiority is an unforgettable reminder of the finer things in life and the finest aspects of film, as a medium, in existence.
The amazing part of their culture is how well they balance modernity and tradition. If it were not for the tale-tell signs of modernity one would almost be fooled into thinking it to be a period piece. This film reminded me a lot of the beautiful Chinese film 'Postman in the Mountain' directed by Huo Jianqi which is equally good. This film with its emotional subtlety, its studied pace and aesthetic superiority is an unforgettable reminder of the finer things in life and the finest aspects of film, as a medium, in existence.