Don't misjudge "Three Seasons" just because it looks so beautiful. There's a lot more going on beneath the surface of this mesmerizing drama than may be seen at first glance.
Admittedly, this is a style-heavy film, one that concentrates on images that almost look like paintings. In addition, there's an eerie sense of calmness or stillness that pervades the film, the first to be shot by an American crew in Vietnam since the Vietnam War.
Fortunately, "Three Seasons" is quite a bit livelier than that description indicates, with an emotional punch that sort of sneaks up on unsuspecting audiences. That may be one of the reasons it won the two biggest awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival — the Audience Award and the Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature.
"Three Seasons" is a subtly metaphorical look at modern-day Vietnam — or the city of Saigon, to be specific — through the eyes of a handful of its diverse residents.
Kien An (Nguyen Ngoc Hiep) is a young woman hired to pick and sell lotus flowers for the reclusive Teacher Dao (Tran Manh Cuong). Though the once-handsome poet has been disfigured by leprosy, he begins writing again with her help and encouragement.
Hard-working Hai (Don Duong) drives a cyclo (a form of rickshaw powered by a bicycle) through the city's streets, barely eking out an existence. The object of his obsession is Lan (Zoe Bui), a beautiful but headstrong prostitute with lofty ambitions of her own.
And Woody (Nguyen Huu Duoc) is a youthful street hustler selling stolen goods out of a battered suitcase — that is, until his means of support is stolen. The prime suspect is James Hager (Harvey Keitel), an ex-G.I. looking for reconciliation with his illegitimate daughter.
Director/screenwriter Tony Bui manages to weave together all of the story lines (the three "seasons" for which the film is named). He also deserves some credit for leaving some of the story up to interpretation instead of spelling things out heavy-handedly.
Of course, a lot of the ambience is also the result of stellar work by cinematographer Lisa Rinzler and her photographic crew. (Rinzler picked up a trophy at Sundance this year as well.)
It doesn't hurt that the film features a series of charismatic performances, particularly by Duong, Bui and Duoc, who could have held the picture by themselves. They add depth to a film that could have easily been superficial.
"Three Seasons" is rated PG-13 for scattered profanities, slapping and some overheard violence, a brief, if odd, scene of sexuality and female partial nudity.