Thi Mai, rumbo a Vietnam

Heartfelt and funny at the same time. What's interesting is the encounter of two distinct cultures with comedic outcomes. The other interesting aspect is the linguistic skill of a Vietnamese actor who appears to speak fluent Spanish. Or is it considering that Vietnam was once under a European colonial power?

The actors portraying the characters of Carmen, Rosa and Elvira are engaging, and the viewer feels he/she is part of the conversation.

They project true friendship.

The added bonus is you get to see some of the scenic spots of this fast-growing country like Ha Long Bay and Ho Hoan Kiem, one of several charming lakes in Hanoi.

I watched this because I'd seen Dani Rovira and Carmen Machi in Spanish Affair (1 & 2), and I had high expectations that Thi Mai might blend this slightly more serious plot with just the right amount of heartwarming humor. I wasn't disappointed!

When her daughter dies just as she's been approved to adopt a young orphaned Vietnamese girl, Carmen travels there with friends hoping to adopt the child herself. Battling bureaucracy and lack of a common language, Carmen won't give up, determined to coax some ray of goodness from a sad beginning.

A lot of light films resolve big problems in ways that are ridiculous. Thi Mai does better than many, with a solution that mixes the unlikely with the credible. The scenery, both rural and urban, is fascinating to those of us who haven't been there. My only gripe is that Vietnamese dialog wasn't subtitled. Perhaps the director wanted us to feel the protagonists' limitations?

If you're ready for a gentle tug on your heartstrings, this is a movie well worth seeing.

A heartwarming story about a Spanish woman determined to complete the adoption of a Vietnamese child following her daughters death. Filmed beautifully in Viet Nam. Full of love and humor.

This movie can't decide whether it's a tragedy or a comedy. Too many tragic moments, and not all of them can be taken lightly. One thing that really bothered me was that for men (for all of them in the film) to do anything good, women had to beg them and beg them and beg them, and cry and beg them.... It was hard to watch. Are men so slow and cowardly and heartless that they can't do anything good without women pushing them really hard to do it? It made me feel distaste for men and pity for women.

This film could have been good, had it focused on being a pure comedy. The funny moments are funny, all the actors are great, the scenery is perfect. Alternatively, this could have been shot as a tragedy, whether with good ending or not, to show the coldness of this bureaucratic world with heartless operatives. But the mix of the too feels unsettling.

It's not annover her top comedy but it has its funny moments. It's a sweet movie that tugs at your heartstrings and leaves you feeling good.