Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Thien (Le Phong Vu) is young videographer of weddings and loves his great free time in or out of Saigon with friends. The contemplative drama of Pham Thien An ‘Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell’ is about Tragedies as it explores the transfiguration of timeless binaries of truth and faith and the search for meaning in loss. Then, he lands in his rural residence for the last rites and to take his uncle’s child Dao Nguyen Thinh to his new home with relatives in the countryside. There has been a detailed description of Thien and the characters during this scene as they introduce each other for the first time. Now he is on a mission of finding the brother whom he has not seen for years. It is rather about the ‘road’ to the brother that raises more questions than answers concerning faith, death, and many other topics entwined with these two and great many others. During this physical activity there is also levity in Tien’s thoughts – he manages to dream vividly despite being in flight at high altitude – escape to daydream for instance.
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell is a deep and remarkable piece of cinema for which Pham Thien An’s charming debut took the Camera d’Or for Best First Feature Competition at the Cannes Film Festival. An, the film has been shot all over rural Vietnam at a relaxed speed following Thien on her journey through the footage from the glowing green edged hills to glass whose foggy atmosphere adds more dreamy effect to the already serene story of the film.
Just like An’s direction, equally measured is Dinh Duy Hung’s Cinematography for instance, in situations where people are shot through doors and windows in ways that remind one of John Ford’s angles that suggest coming home and traveling as well. Then there are long shots where Thien looks down and his problems look like small dots while surrounded by mountains, a vantage point that Thien himself cannot see for his age. Not only is that an homage to An’s career as a wedding videographer, but also it is Am up close – as an example of “these are the people who are filming, this is what they do” – early for Thien, so that the back of the room view is also available at the sister-in-law’s services, observer and yet reluctantly inclined to participate.
‘Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell’ is a case of slow cinema where the audience becomes actively involved in the essence of the film as it engages in the progression of the story and extends its pauses with its own feelings and ideas. It’s designed in such a way that it seems we are outside, drenched in the foggy heat and dusty road that Thien is rather in, looking around.
Time ripples in sensation in soft, fast-forward motion. He remains seated on a motorcycle as it rides up and down hills and around enormous sections of thick vegetation, patiently responds to all of Dao’s questions and sits by the needy villages listening attentively to the village old sages as one long shot after another impressively controlled along its minimal movement image zooms in bit by bit until the frame is completely filled as if it were a real shot from the floor of the action and not a contrived scene positioned withchenicism369 upright27 degrees45 minutes16 secondsome preparation. How more challenging (and fascinating for the viewers) is it when supporting already-known characters decide to reveal even more to their audience (real actors performing only one role), directing on risks and achieving more monologues about their biographies and aspirations without any cuts and transitions. There is only the silence and the storyteller.
The spiritual development of Thien over the course of the film is inner dimension of the story reflected in settings and emotions in “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.” Apart from being cross hanging images decoratively suspended on walls, in tombs and even stored in rivers, did you ever imagine Jesus on the cross being used so many times in so many different places throughout the movie? More than that Who is cinna escaping? Thien’s adolescent crush on Thao featured she hoped in the film turned out to be a Sister and school teacher at the residence of Thien and her upheld circle.
On one of his searches for his brother, his motorbike fails, and Thien asks a passerby to help him, who takes him to a mechanic. The Church has failed him in the eyes of others but it is something that is present around him both physically and in small details. As strange as it would be, due to some unknown reasons the raw beauty of the journey is as relaxing as sitting in the pews of a Church under stained glass lighting, which are several shades brighter than the light bulbs placed on many cabinets.
With this meditative journey of Thien through Vietnam’s rural areas, that was a quest for his brother in the beginning of the quest in the film, there is a lot of depth in the exploration of the different aspects of closure and the search for meaning in death or in a higher power. In some way or to some degree, it feels about this spiritual excursion which appears almost shunted in Thien’s urban society that was bustling with jobs and friends but, less so with the individual space essential to process the burning questions of life. It is not a “take away” that can be boxed all tidy in one simple sentence from “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell.” That is not what we are expecting, that we should come to their own realizations from this exploration of Theravada Buddhism, that is why listening to others as well as ourselves for what we need to attain peace or to explore spirituality is healthy.
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- Genre: Drama
- Country: United States
- Director: Pham Thien An
- Cast: Dylan Besseau, Le Phong Vu, Nguyen Thi Truc Quynh, Vu Ngoc Manh, Nguyen Thinh, Nguyen Van Lu' u
