Pearls of the Far East (2012)
Pearls of the Far East (2012)
WEB-Dl 1080p | MKV | 1920x816 | x264 @ 6735 Kbps | 100 min | 4,87 Gb
Audio: Vietnamese E-AC3 2.0 @ 224 Kbps | Subtitles: English (embedded in MKV)
Genre: Drama, Romance
WEB-Dl 1080p | MKV | 1920x816 | x264 @ 6735 Kbps | 100 min | 4,87 Gb
Audio: Vietnamese E-AC3 2.0 @ 224 Kbps | Subtitles: English (embedded in MKV)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director: Cuong Ngo
Stars: Truong Ngoc Anh, Kieu Chinh, Kris Duangphung
Set in the beautiful backdrop of Vietnam’s landscape, seven vignettes tell the stories of six women and one man of different ages and at different stages of their lives. The seemingly unrelated stories are strung together by the women’s common struggle with love, desire, passion, and sexuality.
Adapted from award-winning stories by Minh Ngoc Nguyen, Ngo weaves a vivid, timeless and unforgettable tapestry with characters brought to life by a gorgeous cast of acclaimed talent from Vietnam, US and Canada, including actresses Truong Ngoc Anh (The White Silk Dress, 2006), Nhu Quynh (Vertical Ray of the Sun, 2000), Hong Anh (Moon at the Bottom of the Well, 2009), Ngo Thanh Van (The Clash, 2010; The Rebel, 2007), Minh Ngoc Nguyen (who also wrote the screenplay based on her own stories), and the legendary Kieu Chinh (Joy Luck Club, 1993).
I had the pleasure of seeing this movie yesterday when the directors/producers and other crew had an encore screening, given the amazing success at the Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival.
Boy, am I happy to have spent the time to do so! This movie tells seven love stories, all in different ways, with different people, and with minimal dialogue. Ultimately, these stories moved me in ways I had not imagined possible by a movie. It is not a regular romantic movie - with its intelligence and beauty, it goes far beyond that.
You are taken across Vietnam getting to know characters in ways we all know ourselves - we all seek out love and we find it in different, surprising ways.
The scenery amazed me like no other move before, given it was all natural, and the score, which was so important for a movie without many spoken words, ended up merging with the characters' movements, smiles, cries, laughs and everything in between, making it a feast for my soul.
You don't need to know the Vietnamese language to watch this movie (I don't) - you need to be human.
Spend a moment to watch it. You will cherish that moment forever. I know I will.
PS: A thank you to the cast and crew is mandatory here. You all did a phenomenal job!
(click to enlarge)
Pearls of the Far East (2012)
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