Au fil de l'eau

One thing I've noticed about classical Vietnamese stories is that they are all tragedies. This film is born from that tradition despite being based on a contemporary short story.

Vietnamese cinema is still relatively new and growing but this film represents one of the best I've seen. The director is able to make you feel like you are living with the family on their boat due to the slow and realistic pace. Character development is so strong that by the end, you really do hope and wish for the family to find peace. Unfortunately, the happy ending never comes and you are left with an uneasy feeling- much like how real life is.

What makes this film even stronger is the gorgeous film score. This is an underdeveloped aspect of Vietnamese cinema but "Floating Lives" manages to deliver above and beyond. At times you have a full orchestra score and other times only minimalistic Vietnamese instruments. This contrast provides for a traditional western film experience while simultaneously keeping a Vietnamese soul.

If you like Kim Ki-Duk, it very probable that you will like this movie. One of those raw movies, that will punch you in the stomach, while living you in awe.

And while the acting is mostly superb, it is also a bit too theatrical sometimes (like in older movies, even thought this one is from 2010). This was not that bad, as I still felt quite into the characters.

"Mr. Vo" (Dustin Nguyen) was a happily married man until his wife leaves him with two young children to raise. In anger and sorrow, he burns his house down and then takes his daughter, "Nuong" (Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc) and his son "Diem" (Vo Thanh Hoa) with him to live on a houseboat traveling up and down the Mekong Delta. This continues for seven years until one day a badly beaten woman named "Suong" (Do Thi Hai Yen) is helped by Diem into the boat where they take care of her and tend to her wounds. Later they find out that she is a prostitute who was beaten by an angry mob of females for seducing one of their husbands. So, with nowhere else to go, she essentially becomes a part of the family as they drift along and try to scratch out a living the best way they know how. Now, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this is a very deep drama which is both slow and sad. Although filmed in Vietnamese (with English subtitles) it was clear early on that this was a masterfully made project with good acting and exquisite Vietnamese scenery. Likewise, the presence of Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc certainly didn't hurt in that respect either. In any case, this was a very good movie and I recommend it to anyone who might be interested in this type of film.

Sometimes in life we won't realize the importance of "move on". Same goes with the movie as well. When we don't take a correct step at the right moment it may end the life where you can't turn back.

I liked the reality of the movie and cast was best. Each and every actor/actress in the movie portrayed the character very well.

The message of the movie is:

In this cruel world, we must learn to move on at any given condition of life.