THREE SEASONS (PG). (Dendy Films) Director: Tony Bui Stars: Harvey Keitel, Don Duong, Nguyen Ngoc Hiep, Tran Manh Cuong, Zoe Bui, Nguyen Huu Doc Running time: 109 minutes (Vietnamese, with English subtitles).
This sublime and beautiful looking low budget feature is the first American film to be shot in Vietnam since the end of the war. In his assured first feature, director Tony Bui pays homage to his native country, shaped by massive destruction and upheaval. Even two decades later, the country is still undergoing an enormous period of cultural, social and political change, and trying to come to terms with its legacy.
Born in Vietnam but raised in America, Bui's dual background gives him a rare insight into this sense of uncertainty, of being caught between two cultures. He directs with a sense of compassion and insight, and puts a human face on this tortured country. The movie is filled with a sense of despair and loss, but it also resonates with a spirit of optimism and a very real humanity.
Three Seasons actually consists of three or four tales, all loosely woven together by the subtext of a nation's search for its own identity. The central characters of these stories come to symbolically represent Vietnam's past, present and future.
Kien An (Ngoc Hiep) works on a farm, where she picks lotuses which she sells on the streets of Saigon. She also captures the attention of Dao (Manh Cuong), a reclusive poet who suffers from disfiguring leprosy and has lost his inspiration to write. She soon becomes his muse, and inspires him to write again. Hai (Don Duong) drives his cyclo through Saigon, and falls in love with Lan (Zoe Bui), a prostitute who plies her trade at some of the city's most luxurious hotels. Woody (Nguyen Huu Doc) is a young boy who braves even the foulest weather to sell trinkets to tourists at hotels. When his bag goes missing, he suspects an American (Harvey Keitel) of stealing it.
Keitel, who is also credited as one of the executive producers, delivers a more restrained performance than usual as an American who has returned to Saigon to find the daughter he fathered during the war. Apart from Keitel, the cast comprises solely of Vietnamese actors who do not speak English, while the crew is made up of a combination of American and Vietnamese technicians. Lisa Rinzler's gorgeous cinematography creates some exquisite visuals and lyrical images, and deservedly won a prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Richard Horowitz's music beautifully complements the evocative visuals, adding to the film's haunting quality.
But, while Three Seasons is visually quite rich, the movie is, at times, a little dull and slow paced, and may not appeal to all tastes.
** greg king http://www.netau.com.au
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