A mystical cinematic pilgrimage about people who won’t cocoon themselves even under the burden of their mere existence. Thien is returning from Saigon to the region of his birth, transporting to his hometown his orphaned nephew and the body of his sister-in-law, who died in an accident. The journey to this forgotten corner of Vietnam invigorates his faith yet also conjures up spectres from the past. Debuting director Thien An Pham behaves in a way similar to that of celebrated architect Jan Blažej Santini-Aichel. He steers the continuous images patiently and serenely, conscious of the fact that a work of art’s spatial arrangement itself may ultimately lead to a spiritual experience. A major screening event at Cannes, the film was included in Directors’ Fortnight and won the Caméra d’Or for best debut.
Martin Horyna
178 min / Color, DCP
Director Thien An Pham
/ Screenplay Thien An Pham
/ Dir. of Photography Duy Hung Dinh
/ Music Thien An Pham
/ Sound Gia Bao Vuong, Xander Toh
/ Editor Thien An Pham
/ Producer Jeremy Chua, Tran Van Thi, Marie Dubas, Ka Nguyen, Adrià Monés Murlans
/ Production JK Film, Pōtocol
/ Coproduction Deuxième Ligne Films, Zorba The Imaginary
/ Cast Le Phong Vu, Thi Truc Quynh Nguyen, Thinh Nguyen, Ngoc Manh Vu
/ Sales Cercamon
Thien An Pham (1989, Vietnam). Filmography: The Mute (Câm Lặng, 2018, short), Stay Awake, Be Ready (Hãy tỉnh thức Và sẵn sàng, 2019, short), Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (Bên trong vỏ kén vàng, 2023).
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