Three Seasons (1999)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Tony Bui

Writers:

Timothy Linh Bui (story)
Tony Bui (story)

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor...

Plot Keywords:

Dying Man | Saigon Vietnam | Song | Long Lost Daughter | Leprosy

Awards:

7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Ngoc Hiep Nguyen	...	Kien An
Ngoc Minh	...	Truck Driver
Phat Trieu Hoang	...	Huy, Dao's Headman
Diem Kieu	...	Singing Lotus Woman
Hanh Kieu	...	Giang
Duong Don	...	Hai, Cyclo Driver
Huu Duoc Nguyen	...	Woody, Child Street Peddler
Hong Son Le	...	Binh, Cyclo Driver
Ba Quang Nguyen	...	Don, Cyclo Driver
Huu Su Tran	...	Ngon, Cyclo Driver
Duc Hung Luong	...	Minh, Cyclo Driver
Harvey Keitel	...	James Hager
Diep Bui	...	Lan the Hooker (as Zoe Bui)
Hoang Trieu	...	Man Who Chases Lan #1
Tran Long	...	Man Who Chases Lan #2

Also Known As:

Ba mua (Vietnam)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements.

Runtime:

113 min | Germany:105 min (German version) | USA:104 min

Country:

Vietnam | USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Czech Republic:12 | Finland:K-7 | France:U | Netherlands:AL | New Zealand:PG | Norway:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Vietnam

Company:

Giai Phong Film Studio

Trivia:

The first American film to be made in Vietnam after Bill Clinton lifted the embargo. The filmmakers were followed by Vietnamese inspectors throughout filming.

Soundtrack:

Good Ol' Rock-N-Roll

Delightful Original movie

My opinion is quite the opposite of a prior viewer Brian Orndorf. He asks rhetorically "Maybe I missed something?" In my opinion he certainly has.

I caught only the last 1/3 of this movie but I was riveted to my seat within 2 minutes of viewing. Here's what I loved about this movie.

1 Beautiful cinematography. I especially liked the visions of dark rainy streets among other things. Every scene has a poetic flow. In short the photography is superb

2 The poetry and songs are lovely and work perfectly with the cinematography, and the individual stories that gradually unfold in time

3 The film conveys the gentleness of the Vietnamese culture as well as the harsh poverty and the widening gulf between the "have's and have nots" a characteristic not unique to this region

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing this wonderful movie in its entirety and recommend it to any sensitive viewers. If you enjoy movies like King of Masks, Central Station, City of Lost Children, Hotel Splendide, Red Lantern, Eat Drink Man Woman, etc. you will probably like this movie. If you don't like this genre then don't waste you time and stick with the usual mass market Hollywood drivel.