Mat biec

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.

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.

This is film-making at its absolute finest. Technically superb, nuanced, divine casting, colour, light, humour. It enthralled me. If you are tired of Hollywood's wndless 'kill conquer rinse repeat' format, watch this film with people you love.

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.

Deep in the heart of human nature is the craving to be appreciated - William James.

And this love story rings true to that: the initial setting was in Do Do village where main character Ngan fell heads-over-heels for his class mate Ha Lan (played by Truc Anh) since grade school. The two enjoyed years together as close friends while Ngan kept hinting his love via caring and singing love song over his guitar... things started to drastic turn when Ha Lan went to the city for high school and Ngan followed suit. Ha Lan was overwhelmed with the city lights, the busy streets, the bars, etc... however Ngan's love for her endured and he continued to give... a childhood crush that spanned over three decades.... he did not change even when he had his chances of happiness without her.Love made him blind and he could not see the world changing? Or was he one stubborn SOB who refused to accept defeat? Who are we to judge? For me his insistence resonates with the idea that we are driven not only by our basic instincts but also by our desire to win love via our own virtue and to remain hopeful that one day we will be appreciated for the agonizing pain from selfless sacrifices we have made. Because love is not a zero-sum game and certainly not a commodity that can be bought... strong enough to overcome most irresistible temptation.

This begs the question of if Ngan character ever exists in reality. That's for each audience to decide!

Incredible cinematography and music scores can bring feeling to many highs and climaxes regardless of how familiar you are with Central Vietnam in the 1970's.