Three Seasons by Tony Bui (Review)

Bui’s view of Vietnam is not of a wartorn country, but of a country full of life and energy.
Three Seasons, Tony Bui

Set in modern Vietnam, Three Seasons tells a series of interconnected stories set within the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City. They are stories set within a city coming to terms with its wartorn past, its age-old traditions, and an uncertain future. But rather than address these themes on a grandiose scale, director/screenwriter Tony Bui attempts to deal with them on a more personal, human level. The result is a work of poetry. It’s not without its flaws, but it’s also a moving picture full of life and passion, and also its share of uncertainty and trepidation.

The first story looks at Kien An, a young woman sent to work at a lotus plantation, picking beautiful lotus blossoms and selling them in the city. The plantation is run by Master Dao, a once-famous poet who now lives as a recluse in a temple in the middle of his lake. However, her singing attracts the notice of Dao, who asks her to visit him. Dao turns out to be a leper; unable to visit the outside world, he takes solace in his poetry. But having lost his fingers, he’s unable to write. Kien volunteers to help him, to serves as his hands and write down his words for others to read.

Huy is a hardworking pedicab driver. However, he has a chance encounter with a beautiful young prostitute named Lan who captures his interest. She soon finds him faithfully waiting for her after her engagements. After winning money in a race, he asks to spend the night with her, but not in the way that she imagines. His kindness and mercy stirs up feelings in her that she thought were long-dead and tries to push him away, until an injury forces her to rely on him.

James is a Vietnam vet searching for his daughter, the result of a wartime affair. He spends everyday sitting outside a restaurant, unable or unwilling to go in and start getting right with his past. When he finally finds his daughter, he discovers she’s working as a female escort of sorts, and he realizes that he has set things right with her before it does any more damage.

The final story deals with Woody, a young streetkid named after the Woody Woodpecker shirt he wears. He spends everyday selling gum, cigarettes, and various trinkets out of his small wooden box. After an encounter with James in a bar, he loses his box. Unable to return home until he finds it, he spends the rest of the movie searching the city’s alleys and backstreets for his livelihood.

For the most part, the stories are largely independent, with only the slightest of interaction. When the stories to meet, it’s in the form of a chance encounter: James and Woody meet at a bar; James buys flowers from Kien on the street; Huy gives Woody a quick escape when he needs one. On the one hand, it allows the stories to develop and become fleshed out on their own. In case of the stronger stories, like Kien An and Huy, this works. However, James’ story feels rushed and incomplete, almost like it was tacked on. Bui’s approach also means that movie feels fragmented at times, drawn out at others. But when he keeps things balanced, and he often does, the result is quite subtle and beautiful.

And “beautiful” is the keyword here. Bui’s view of Vietnam is not of a wartorn country, but of a country full of life and energy. Even when death is close, as it is for Kien and Bao, life is still all around, be it the lotus blossoms or Kien’s singing. And Bui fills his movie with one moving image after another; the mist-covered lotus lake, Tien swirling water in a lotus leaf, Lan walking down a road amidst raining flower petals. One scene in particular stands out in mind, that of Woody engaged in a soccer game in the midst of a rainstorm. Played out in slow motion, it transforms the garbage-filled alley into a rain-soaked oasis full of energy and motion.

For some stories, there is a resolution. Kien finds a way to pay tribute to her master’s death by bringing his dream to life. And Huy and Lan end the movie together, finding solace in eachother. But even though James finds his daughter, the last we see of them is sitting in that restaurant, separated from us a by a window. We leave them with James trying to put things right, but we have no idea how it goes. But we can take comfort that there’s hope for James.

Three Seasons’ most uncertain moment is saved for Woody. The last we see of him is heading off down a rainy alley, followed by a little girl who has taken a liking to him. Just moments before, his life was filled with the joy of a soccer game, but soon it’s back to business, to life as usual. It’s a poignant image, and one that sticks with the viewer for a long time.

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