I've askes many Vietnamese people that i know who wathced this movie (Mùi du du xanh-the original Vietnamese name of the movie), and they all said they couldn't understand the whole story of it. Even now we haven't found any reason for it to become such a successful movie. Director Tran Anh Hùng was a great man but honestly he was not a pure Vietnamese so his movie was too complicated for Vietnamese to understand it fully.
shareWhat is there to understand? The plot is simple and straightforward, the film is more about atmosphere and style than action. Tran Anh Hùng makes films to showcase his wife Trán Nu Yên Khê. The reason it became such a successful film is that it is very sensual and it appeals to the Western need for exoticism, without falling into the trap of being sentimental and cheesy.
What would it take to make Tran Anh Hùng "pure Vietnamese" in your view, other than being born in Vietnam from Vietnamese parents, and having spent his childhood there?
Why do you speak of him in the past tense, as if he is dead?
Great post, there's really not much to this movie, plotwise, nothing too deep, it was just a good movie.
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pre·ten·tious: characterized by assumption of dignity or importance.
Personally I hated the film. I have nothing against slow films but this one really got on my nerves. Yes--the cinematography was beautiful and the soundtrack was fantastic but pretty pictures don't make a movie. There was virtually no plot and basically next to nothing happened. I can see why people love this film but (for whatever reason) it didn't work for me.
shareAgreed its just a pretty slide show more or less... :/
shareSurely people are not that dense. There is no hidden meanings in this film. It is a simple story. The power of the film lies in its ability to hold your attention with so little happening. I love this movie. It is one of my top 10 favorites.
shareWho did you ask???
I am 100% vietnamese and this film is nowhere near as complicated.
This is just silly. Of course some Vietnamese people can understand it. They would understand some elements like the melancholy better than you too, as that pervades so much VN art.
You are just trying to find an excuse for not understanding a simple narrative and some more complex cultural aspects (which you just have to go with if you don't like them). The look and feel are important!
It's not really a Vietnamese movie, it's a French movie made by a Vietnamese person. Try watching some other French cinema.