Bride of Silence is a slow but visually-appealing movie.
We get different views of Ly An's story (and of her son, Hien) from the different "husbands" in her saga. The story arc unwinds through flashbacks seen from differing points-of-view. Each story has its own surprises (many culturally-induced). The story then settles into a common/true story where much is still left to the (Western) imagination.
Without a sense of the Vietnamese ethic (especially the 18th century one) this can be a hard movie to comprehend. We are never sure of motives, we can only guess at the grand plan, and we are not sure of whether the end is metaphor or a literal happening.
A mood piece, best viewed with your senses alert for point-of-view, nuance and subtlety.
We get different views of Ly An's story (and of her son, Hien) from the different "husbands" in her saga. The story arc unwinds through flashbacks seen from differing points-of-view. Each story has its own surprises (many culturally-induced). The story then settles into a common/true story where much is still left to the (Western) imagination.
Without a sense of the Vietnamese ethic (especially the 18th century one) this can be a hard movie to comprehend. We are never sure of motives, we can only guess at the grand plan, and we are not sure of whether the end is metaphor or a literal happening.
A mood piece, best viewed with your senses alert for point-of-view, nuance and subtlety.
