a magnificent meditative road movie in the Vietnamese countryside

The golden butterfly tree, director Pham Thien An’s first film presented at the Filmmakers’ Fortnight at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, won the Caméra d’or, which rewards the best first film, all categories combined. It tells the story of a young man’s journey back to his village after the accidental death of his sister-in-law. This very feature film (2h58), beautiful and meditative, is released in theaters on September 20, 2023.

His brother having left the marital home a few years earlier, Thien (Le Phong Vu) finds himself obliged to bring back to the village the body of his sister-in-law, who died in a motorcycle accident. He takes the road in the hearse with the coffin and Dao, his 5-year-old nephew, now an orphan. Thien takes part in the prayers and funeral ceremonies of his sister-in-law. He also finds the young girl he once loved, who entered the orders after his departure for Saigon, then he takes to the road on an old scooter to find his brother, Dao’s father, whom he has not seen again. for several years.

“No one can understand the human soul”

This first film of Pham Thien An is a meditation on grief and faith. The families of Thien and his late sister-in-law are devout Christians, for whom religion and faith occupy a central place, their lives punctuated by rites and prayers. By settling in Saigon after his parents left for the United States, Thien moved away a little from this tradition, which he rediscovered during this trip which sounds like a pilgrimage and a return to his roots. .

Thien crosses the landscapes of his country, which contrast with the urban settings of Saigon at the beginning of the film. His attention is captured by the details, in the city the reflection of lighting, the quiver of a curtain in the air of a fan, in the countryside those of a luxuriant nature, with which the inhabitants continue to live in rudimentary conditions, lit by candles.

During this trip, Thien meets people. An old man – the one who made his sister-in-law’s shroud – invites her into his rudimentary wooden house to tell her about his war. Later he meets an old woman. “No one can understand the human soul”she told him. “It is beyond human understanding”she continues, “I see the suffering of men, I smell the smell of rot” she says.

Meditative walk

“Where is paradise?” Dao asks his uncle. Started to bury his sister-in-law, then to find his brother, Thien’s journey gradually transforms into a quest for himself, his roots, but also a spiritual quest. The road fills with mist, and dreams mix with reality. Time, the ticking of a clock, the crowing of the rooster, punctuate this film where the elements occupy an important place, heavy skies, pouring rain, palpable humidity and heat.

Made with great care, the film unfolds at a very slow pace, almost in real time for certain scenes. Pham Thien An favors fixed shots, not hesitating to make them last to let the action, or non-action, live within his framework. And the camera movements, when there are any, are so slow that they are almost imperceptible.

Seconds last, hours and days pass. The present, the past, and the future end up intertwining, blurring the chronology of this journey. All these elements compose a suspended atmosphere, which implicitly invites us to question time and its random value.

Sequences which unfold like so many magnificently composed paintings, shots without sound, off-camera sounds and above all an extraordinary slowness… Totally going against the grain of the century of dazzlingness and speed, this way of filming the world evokes Antonioni’s cinema. This meditative and sensual first film is worth it (2h58 of pure contemplation) but it is well worth it.

The sheet

Gender : drama
Director: Pham Thien An
Actors: Le Phong Vu, Nguyen Thi Truc Quynh, Nguyen Thinh, Vu Ngoc Manh
Country : Vietnam
Duration : 2h 58min
Exit : September 20, 2023
Distributer : Nour Films
Synopsis : After the death of his sister-in-law in a motorcycle accident in Saigon, Thien is given the task of returning her body to their native village. He also takes his nephew Dao (5 years old), who miraculously survived the accident. Amid the mystical landscapes of the Vietnamese countryside, Thien sets out in search of his older brother, who disappeared years ago, a journey that deeply challenges his faith.