CYCLO (1996)
A film review by Martin Rich
Copyright 1996 Martin Rich
Vietnam, in the context of films, is usually associated with the proliferation of Vietnam war films. But 'Cyclo', and the same director's earlier 'The Scent of Green Papaya', portray a very different view of Vietnam. Tran Anh Hung's films concentrate on everyday life in Vietnam, before (in the case of 'Papaya'), and since (in the case of 'Cyclo') the war.
Both films share the same acute observation of the dynamics of a family. Both share the same slow, deliberate, development of their themes. Where 'Papaya' was a gentle chronicle of the development of a family, 'Cyclo' shows an altogether les pleasant side of life. Its central character is the driver of a rickshaw taxi, who is innocent and well-meaning but is gradually drawn into petty crime and corruption. In tha background, the contrasts between the affluent, the poor, and the sleazy in present-day Vietnam are brutally portrayed. The sound of the motorcycle engine that powers the rickshaw, runs in the background almost continuously, and helps to convey the noisy, dusty, feel of a city in the far East.
Despite the film's gentle pace, its message is planted firmly in the viewers' minds. There is some violence, but, more powerful than the violence, there are scenes where characters look on impassively, at the most cold-blooded treatment of others. It doesn't make comfortable watching, but does record how easily people can be brutalised. Vietnam is developing now as a destination for tourism, and a country on the edge of the affluent Pacific Rim. Far as 'Cyclo' is from the stuff of mainstream cinema, it is a salutary reminder that Vietnam remains a troubled land.
-- Martin Rich City University Business School M.G.Rich@city.ac.uk http://www.city.ac.uk/~sf309/home.html
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