Tony Bui's debut feature portrays modern Vietnam coming to terms with the
legacies of a traditional, spiritual past, a turbulent recent history and
the social effects of modernisation.
These themes are explored through the characters of a young woman brought
to the estate of 'The Teacher' to harvest his lotus flowers for sale in the
city, an ex-American soldier returned to repair his and a sensitive
cyclo's love for a hardened prostitute.
The symbol flowing through these themes is the lotus blossom. It comes to
represent the life force of The Teacher - a withdrawn, reclusive poet
ravaged with leprosy. Hearing Kien An (Nguyen Ngoc Hiep) sing a song from
his childhood while harvesting his flowers, he brings her to his temple to
sing for him, and later she transcribes his poetry. The Teacher, secluded
in his temple for many years, believes he escapes his self-imposed
isolation through contemplation of his lotuses, the sunsets, the birds that
fish in his lake. However, his world is idyllic, cast from memory and
imagination - nostalgia that is out-of-place on the streets of Saigon where
Kien An finds difficulty competing with merchants of cheaper, plastic flowers.
In the hands of James (Harvey Keitel), an ex-Marine, the lotus is the hope
of making peace with his daughter, a product of American occupation in
Saigon. James has returned, clutching the inevitable photograph, and finds
her working as an escort in a hotel. While seeking his daughter, James
comes across Woody (Nguyen Huu Duoc), a young street urchin selling watches
and curios from a battered wooden case. One of the more profound sub-plots
is Woody's hunt for his case after it is lost in a nightclub. In his
search, we see Bui's tender vision of Saigon's street-children, trapped by
poverty and tyranny, finding respite in their mutual struggle for a place
in the chaotic.
Hai (Don Duong), the quiet, thoughtful cyclo driver sees the lotus blossom
as an embodiment of values threatened by the expediency of modern
convenience. Yet, he does not judge the society in which he lives. His love
for Lan (Zoe Bui), the prostitute yearning to climb out of her poverty and
into the arms of wealth, epitomised by the lavish hotels, is not driven by
a desire to 'reform' her, but to help her find the peace and beauty she
remembers from childhood.
The film unfolds at a pace that may seem sluggish, but has an unhurried
rhythm drawn from the poetry and songs that teture the stunning
cinematography of Lisa Rinzler. Development of both the characters and
themes is very subtle - the poetry of the film is that it wants to reflect
different views of modern Vietnam without preaching. It wants to offer
hope, but makes no guarantees.
Three Seasons offers a rich visual style complemented by strong
performances, yet fails to carefully weave its themes into a cohesive
whole. The three central stories occasionally, by accident more than
anything, bump into each other, but develop in an isolation that prevents
their ideas gaining a more forceful impact.
Simon Haines
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