"Mr. Vo" (Dustin Nguyen) was a happily married man until his wife leaves him with two young children to raise. In anger and sorrow, he burns his house down and then takes his daughter, "Nuong" (Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc) and his son "Diem" (Vo Thanh Hoa) with him to live on a houseboat traveling up and down the Mekong Delta. This continues for seven years until one day a badly beaten woman named "Suong" (Do Thi Hai Yen) is helped by Diem into the boat where they take care of her and tend to her wounds. Later they find out that she is a prostitute who was beaten by an angry mob of females for seducing one of their husbands. So, with nowhere else to go, she essentially becomes a part of the family as they drift along and try to scratch out a living the best way they know how. Now, rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it, I will just say that this is a very deep drama which is both slow and sad. Although filmed in Vietnamese (with English subtitles) it was clear early on that this was a masterfully made project with good acting and exquisite Vietnamese scenery. Likewise, the presence of Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc certainly didn't hurt in that respect either. In any case, this was a very good movie and I recommend it to anyone who might be interested in this type of film.
5 Reviews
How important is "Move On"
meenaal-600-4749534 March 2017
Sometimes in life we won't realize the importance of "move on". Same goes with the movie as well. When we don't take a correct step at the right moment it may end the life where you can't turn back.
I liked the reality of the movie and cast was best. Each and every actor/actress in the movie portrayed the character very well.
The message of the movie is:
In this cruel world, we must learn to move on at any given condition of life.
I liked the reality of the movie and cast was best. Each and every actor/actress in the movie portrayed the character very well.
The message of the movie is:
In this cruel world, we must learn to move on at any given condition of life.
Harsh but very well worth it
guilherme_silva_199211 April 2022
If you like Kim Ki-Duk, it very probable that you will like this movie. One of those raw movies, that will punch you in the stomach, while living you in awe.
And while the acting is mostly superb, it is also a bit too theatrical sometimes (like in older movies, even thought this one is from 2010). This was not that bad, as I still felt quite into the characters.
And while the acting is mostly superb, it is also a bit too theatrical sometimes (like in older movies, even thought this one is from 2010). This was not that bad, as I still felt quite into the characters.
Vietnamese Cinema at Its Best
djepic117 January 2012
One thing I've noticed about classical Vietnamese stories is that they are all tragedies. This film is born from that tradition despite being based on a contemporary short story.
Vietnamese cinema is still relatively new and growing but this film represents one of the best I've seen. The director is able to make you feel like you are living with the family on their boat due to the slow and realistic pace. Character development is so strong that by the end, you really do hope and wish for the family to find peace. Unfortunately, the happy ending never comes and you are left with an uneasy feeling- much like how real life is.
What makes this film even stronger is the gorgeous film score. This is an underdeveloped aspect of Vietnamese cinema but "Floating Lives" manages to deliver above and beyond. At times you have a full orchestra score and other times only minimalistic Vietnamese instruments. This contrast provides for a traditional western film experience while simultaneously keeping a Vietnamese soul.
Vietnamese cinema is still relatively new and growing but this film represents one of the best I've seen. The director is able to make you feel like you are living with the family on their boat due to the slow and realistic pace. Character development is so strong that by the end, you really do hope and wish for the family to find peace. Unfortunately, the happy ending never comes and you are left with an uneasy feeling- much like how real life is.
What makes this film even stronger is the gorgeous film score. This is an underdeveloped aspect of Vietnamese cinema but "Floating Lives" manages to deliver above and beyond. At times you have a full orchestra score and other times only minimalistic Vietnamese instruments. This contrast provides for a traditional western film experience while simultaneously keeping a Vietnamese soul.
Academy Award caliber film
AsianTalentHollywood18 October 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes a film comes along where all the pieces fall into place and the script, cinematography, music, acting, directing all form a magical symphony. "Floating Lives" is one such film that is so powerful that after you have followed the drama through the myriad of emotions to it's successful conclusion you almost feel exhausted, yet so satisfied.
Ultimately it is about the women in the film whose characters are center stage and are on the one hand so strong and bold and yet on the other so fragile. Actress Do Thi Hai Yen's performance brilliantly showcases both the strong and the fragile as a tragic yet hopeful prostitute, Suong, who yearns for a simple life of happiness. Escaping a horrible beating from angry wives, she is thrown into life on a boat with a mentally and physically abusive man, Mr. Vu, and his two teenage children far from populated areas of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. When Mr. Vu's daughter reveals to Suong her mother's infidelity, hence why their mother is not part of their lives, Suong states about Mr. Vu, "now I understand his roar" and at that moment in the film she begins to think of him as a person who knows how to love deeply giving her more reason to hope for a life with him and his children. And that is part of this very complex web of emotions that is formed among these four characters that makes the film so engaging.
Dustin Nguyen's role as the father is also a masterful performance that can easily be called one of the best acting roles of his career, certainly a role not seen from him in the past. Like Do Thi Hai Yen, his acting creates a very complex character. On the surface Mr. Vu is easy to dislike, yet he has glimpses of a happy, kind, loving man that makes him hard to hate and easy to feel sympathy for and that allows the audience to hope for a better future for him and his family. When she offers to go back to being a prostitute to actually help the family, Mr. Vu does not object. When leaving to fulfill her "duty," she looks back multiple times hoping that Mr. Vu will stop her. While he too considers that option, even opening his mouth to speak, perhaps ready to feel something good again, even at that moment he is unable to do so. This is such a powerful scene in the film showing Suong's unwillingness to give up hope even though everything she knows tells her all hope is lost.
Throughout the film the mesmerizing cinematography of the Mekong Delta and the beautiful original soundtrack are juxtapose the cruel misery of these floating livesÂ…floating through the waterways, floating through life surviving, and floating towards what they hope is a better tomorrow. Through all of the darkness in the film, hope is interwoven and therein lies the mastery of director Nguyen Quang Binh's film.
Ultimately it is about the women in the film whose characters are center stage and are on the one hand so strong and bold and yet on the other so fragile. Actress Do Thi Hai Yen's performance brilliantly showcases both the strong and the fragile as a tragic yet hopeful prostitute, Suong, who yearns for a simple life of happiness. Escaping a horrible beating from angry wives, she is thrown into life on a boat with a mentally and physically abusive man, Mr. Vu, and his two teenage children far from populated areas of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. When Mr. Vu's daughter reveals to Suong her mother's infidelity, hence why their mother is not part of their lives, Suong states about Mr. Vu, "now I understand his roar" and at that moment in the film she begins to think of him as a person who knows how to love deeply giving her more reason to hope for a life with him and his children. And that is part of this very complex web of emotions that is formed among these four characters that makes the film so engaging.
Dustin Nguyen's role as the father is also a masterful performance that can easily be called one of the best acting roles of his career, certainly a role not seen from him in the past. Like Do Thi Hai Yen, his acting creates a very complex character. On the surface Mr. Vu is easy to dislike, yet he has glimpses of a happy, kind, loving man that makes him hard to hate and easy to feel sympathy for and that allows the audience to hope for a better future for him and his family. When she offers to go back to being a prostitute to actually help the family, Mr. Vu does not object. When leaving to fulfill her "duty," she looks back multiple times hoping that Mr. Vu will stop her. While he too considers that option, even opening his mouth to speak, perhaps ready to feel something good again, even at that moment he is unable to do so. This is such a powerful scene in the film showing Suong's unwillingness to give up hope even though everything she knows tells her all hope is lost.
Throughout the film the mesmerizing cinematography of the Mekong Delta and the beautiful original soundtrack are juxtapose the cruel misery of these floating livesÂ…floating through the waterways, floating through life surviving, and floating towards what they hope is a better tomorrow. Through all of the darkness in the film, hope is interwoven and therein lies the mastery of director Nguyen Quang Binh's film.
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