THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA
DIRECTOR: Trần Anh Hùng
104 minutes. Vietnam, france.
1993. Languages: vietnamese. Subtitled. Colour.
Caméra d’Or Winner, Cannes Film Festival 1993
IFI DUBLIN: WED 7 FEB 18.15
BOOK TICKETS: IFI DUBLIN
Screening in partnership with DUBLIN LUNAR NEW YEAR FESTIVAL and Asia Market
TRISKEL CORK: SAT 10 FEB 17.45
BOOK TICKETS: TRISKEL CORK
PÁLÁS GALWAY: SAT 10 FEB 18.30
BOOK TICKETS: PÁLÁS GALWAY
The first part of his Vietnam Trilogy, The Scent of Green Papaya is French-Vietnamese writer-director Trần Anh Hùng’s (The Taste of Things, 2023) brilliant debut feature, set in 1950/60s Saigon.
In a subtle exploration of female characters, the story unfolds in two parts beginning in 1951. In the interiors of a house and garden with a papaya tree, domestic chores and the intimate life of a wealthy but troubled family and their servants unfold. The slow decline of a society, its family life, gender and class, mirrors the coming-of-age and romantic blossoming of servant girl Mùi.
Sparse dialogue and elaborate compositions in a precise palette of colours, textures and sounds (birds, insects, plants, food preparation, clothes, interiors and piano), combine with fluid tracking shots to create a languorous and sensual cinema full of palpable sensations. A pioneer of lyrical and evocative films.
(Marie-Pierre Richard)