Mat biec

A non-epic and with a controlled environment of people and situation which only exist in a movie. This is a typical unrequited love story. Ironically this will be a good story to convert as mini series. If we follow the background setting and suspend our disbelief, it can be something of a neat story and that's why I enjoy moderately especially from half to near the end.

Now, I don't usually get to watch a lot of Vietnamese movies, so I can't claim to be well-traversed in the Vietnamese cinema in any way. But when I had the opportunity to sit down here in 2022 and watch the 2019 romantic drama from writers Kay Nguyen and Victor Vu, of course I did so. Sure, I hadn't even heard about the movie prior to watching it, but that hardly mattered.

I will say that writers Kay Nguyen and Victor Vu definitely managed to put together a very wholesome storyline and plot. It was a story that was every bit as beautiful and touching as it was entertaining and enjoyable. Hand on heart, then I have to admit that "Mat Biec" (aka "Dreamy Eyes") turned out to be a very nice surprise of a movie.

The storyline is emotional and one that quickly takes you by the hand and doesn't let go before the movie ends. So the writers definitely did a marvelous job in putting together this story. Director Victor Vu also brought the movie to the screen in a very fulfilling and wholesome manner.

Needless to say that I wasn't familiar with the cast that performed in "Mat Biec", but I will say that they put on very convincing performances and carried the movie quite phenomenally. Lead actor Tran Nghia (playing Ngan) and lead actress Trúc Anh (playing Ha Lan) were so amazingly well-cast for this movie, and they put on stellar performances.

If you enjoy romantic dramas, then you most certainly should sit down to watch "Mat Biec", should you ever get the chance. I was thoroughly enjoying this movie, and it really was such a beautifully told story.

My rating of "Mat Biec" lands on a well-deserved eight out of ten stars.

Impressive scenery and cinematography brings viewers back to Saigon in the old time, acting adequate but not amazing. Slow pace especially in the middle, and story not explored deeply enough. The unrequited love mechanic gets weary after a while with few twists or complexities. Pretty much zero effort in makeup to make the characters look as if they've convincingly aged while the daughter ages markedly.

How can you watch this movie if you are in the US?

Overall, this is a good movie with many impressive moments. The ending scene is perfect. However, the middle part of the film is slow-paced.