Movie 'Inside the Golden Cocoon' conquers French audiences

Director Pham Thien An answers questions from VNA reporters. Photo: Nguyen Tuyen / VNA reporters in France

On the evening of June 13, the Luxor cinema was more crowded than usual, not only French people but also many Vietnamese people in France. Everyone was excited to see the debut feature film of a young Vietnamese director who won the Golden Lens award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. “Inside the Golden Cocoon”, a 3-hour film by director Pham Thien An, was warmly received at several cinemas such as MK2 Beaubourg, Reflet Medicis, Le Méliès, Forum des Images or Luxor.

The film tells the story of Thien on his journey to bring back the remains of his sister-in-law who died in a sudden car accident in Saigon, leaving behind a son named Dao. Thien returns with the mission of arranging his sister-in-law's funeral, taking care of his nephew and searching for his brother who has been lost for many years in the mysterious mountains and forests. Thien's journey is a blend of reality and fantasy, between dreams and waking life, keeping memories and the present. He himself is the embodiment of a lost youth searching for the meaning of his life, wishing to shed the burdens of life to ease his soul. Mixed with buried memories are deep passions, the character Thien has to ask himself many questions about life and faith.

Although the film's philosophical content and slow pace have caused much controversy, most audiences agree that the film's scenes are beautiful, with natural, unstaged camera angles, especially the scenes depicting the misty Central Highlands mountains, the quiet forest at night, the rushing waterfalls, the trees swaying in the wind, or the images of golden cocoons in the sun, herds of wild buffalo appearing suddenly at night, and white butterflies breaking out of their cocoons to flutter in the dark.

Arthur Aulin, a French audience member, shared: "This is the first time I have watched this director's film. I find it very interesting, the images are beautiful, the colors are impressive, especially the shimmering lights in the dark are very successfully portrayed. However, the pace is a bit slow and long. In terms of content, the film is built with the characters' unanswered questions, making the audience think. I am especially interested in seeing the religious life of Catholics in Vietnam depicted in the film. I always thought that Vietnamese people often worship their ancestors and follow Buddhism. The scenes of life in Vietnam are also a new discovery for me. In short, the film is very good, making the audience think a lot."

The film "Inside the Golden Cocoon" is shown at the Luxor cinema in Paris. Photo: Thu Ha/VNA reporter in France

Ms. Phi Nga Fournier, a Vietnamese-French expatriate, expressed her pride when a Vietnamese film won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. Because the film won the "Golden Lens" award, she paid special attention to the images and colors in the film. She said that many details that may be normal to Vietnamese people are very interesting to foreigners.

It is known that one of the factors that made the jury decide to award the “Golden Lens” to director Pham Thien An’s first feature film was that the scenes in the film were very impressive and naturally beautiful, without any staging. Few people would have thought that the amazing filming techniques were performed and staged by a young director, 34 years old, who learned on the internet and trained his skills by filming weddings, and was assisted by a group of young amateurs, most of whom had only been trained during the filming process.

Sharing with VNA reporters in France about his efforts to get beautiful scenes, director Pham Thien An said: "The difficulty in the filmmaking process was the use of long, slow camera takes and sometimes moving according to the characters. I had to spend a lot of time practicing on set to find the balance between the camera movements, the characters and the rhythm of the story. It took me about two to three years to complete the filming process."

For cinematographer Dinh Duy Hung, a childhood friend of Thien An, the filming process was also a time of self-study and research to improve his filming skills. Besides, accessing new equipment also posed many difficulties, so he had to spend a lot of time researching. He shared: "And then everyone had to learn from each other to help the work be better."

As an art director, director Pham Thien An's wife, Huynh Phuong Hien, always supports her husband in choosing beautiful scenes. She said: "An and I share the same passion for filmmaking. Therefore, I want to support and accompany him on every decision and choice." To Phuong Hien, Thien An is someone who "works a lot, is passionate about films and always knows how to inspire those around him." "I feel very lucky to be by his side, to accompany him and learn a lot from him."

Commenting on director Pham Thien An, the French film magazine Les Inrockuptibles said that "the appearance of a young filmmaker at a professional and prestigious playground like the Cannes Film Festival has never been easy. However, the director of "Inside the Golden Cocoon", only 34 years old, has emerged as a phenomenon, one of the most beautiful discoveries of the Cannes Film Festival, which has always been a playground for veteran filmmakers in both age and career". The author of the article believes that with "the Golden Lens Award, Pham Thien An promises to go far".

According to VNA

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