Vertiges

After a traditional wedding ceremony the bridegroom "Hai" (Duy Khoa Nguyen) begins to celebrate with his buddies while his bride "Duyen" (Do Thi Hai Yen) assists in cleaning up. Unfortunately as the party denigrates into a drinking contest Hai becomes too inebriated to consummate his marriage which leaves Duyen both disappointed and sexually frustrated. Yet rather than expressing any sympathy her new mother-in-law dismisses the matter entirely and suggests that she disregard her feelings and essentially subjugate herself to him above all else. However, as the days pass and Hai makes no attempt to engage in sexual activities Duyen begins to seek the advice of her friend and confident named "Cam" (Linh Dan Pham) who has always shown a sincere interest in her. What she doesn't know is that Cam's interest is more than platonic and her advice soon leads Duyen into an exploration of her sexuality while at the same time maintaining her commitment to her new husband. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of this film and the manner in which it conveyed the sense of sexual desire without resorting to scenes of an immodest or crude nature. It was very artfully done and the director (Bui Thac Chuyên) has every reason to be proud of his work. That being said, I have rated this film accordingly. Above average.

The muted color palette, the shadowy interiors that envelop the characters, the faded French architecture and the flooding rain are suitable metaphors for yearning, love unconsummated and love abused in this Vietnamese exploration of relationships.

The beautiful Duyen marries the infantile cab driver and mother's boy Hai. When he drinks himself into a catatonic state at the wedding celebration while his bride waits expectantly upstairs the portents for a happy marriage are ominous. Cam, Duyen's friend, is secretly in love with her, and bitter about her friend's marriage, arranges an encounter with the Lothario Tho. The shock she experiences when the man literally pounces on her turns to fascination after the relationship with Hai sours. She succumbs to Tho's advances but her sexual awakening brings only uncertainty in a life she once assessed as uncomplicated and pure.

Adrift is a quiet, understated film that subtly leads the viewer into a world of dampened expectations and lives unfulfilled.