{"id":9772,"date":"2021-11-26T18:09:41","date_gmt":"2021-11-26T10:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/?p=9772"},"modified":"2021-11-30T12:15:57","modified_gmt":"2021-11-30T04:15:57","slug":"the-scent-of-green-papaya-1993","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesmartlocal.com\/vietnam\/the-scent-of-green-papaya-1993\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scent Of Green Papaya (1993): 5 Facts About The Oscar-Nominated Film By Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/em>, a Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng movie<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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For ages, we’ve heard plenty of stories and shining examples that illustrate Vietnamese women’s virtues and what our society expects from its women – from good cooking techniques to ideal parenting skills to selflessness, the trait of prioritizing family and making sacrifices. While our society has become much more open-minded in recent decades, lots of women still have to deal with age-old stigmas associated with divorcing or not marrying at all.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’d like to learn more about Vietnamese women’s cultural values through a more visible, cinematic language, we recommend <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/b>.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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1. It is set in Saigon in from 1940s to 1960s<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span>IMDB\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Set in colonial Saigon from the 1940s until the 1960s, <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/em> (1993) tells the story of M\u00f9i<\/strong> (played by Man San Lu), a 10-year-old orphan who begins working at a rich merchant family who is experiencing financial difficulties.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

An innocent M\u00f9i gets curious about almost everything around her, from the way an ant carries food to its nest to the happenings in her employer\u2019s family. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Filmroot\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The first half of the film transpires through the inquisitive eyes of M\u00f9i, whose observations tell the story of her employer\u2019s family.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe boss lady is a doting wife and mother<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The boss lady had a daughter who had died a few years ago, and M\u00f9i reminds the kind, quiet lady of her lost child. The lady\u2019s husband is an unfaithful man who gradually squanders away the family\u2019s fortune on recreation and only comes home when he runs out of money.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nM\u00f9i serving food to the father and the kids<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The boss lady\u2019s mother-in-law, an ill and embittered widow who never leaves her upstairs room, knows a man who has single-mindedly pursued her throughout her adulthood, but she refuses to see him again because it\u2019s against moral norms.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe mother has to work to provide for the family.<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The boss lady and her husband have three sons who rarely mind their family\u2019s business. So the survival of the family falls on the boss lady, who has to start a small business to put food on the table.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once, the husband comes home and steals all of her meagre savings and her jewelry. Distraught and terrified as she is, she is never seen uttering one word of complaint against her husband.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

One day, the husband comes home in a fragile state. The boss lady takes care of her husband with utmost devotion, only to see him die shortly after that.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\n20-year-old M\u00f9i
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

As the boss lady\u2019s family finances get more dismal, she has to let M\u00f9i (played by Tr\u1ea7n N\u1eef Y\u00ean Kh\u00ea), now a 20-year-old beautiful woman, go and work for her oldest son\u2019s friend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Before M\u00f9i leaves, the tearful boss lady hands her a red <\/span>\u00e1o d\u00e0i <\/span><\/i>and some jewelry, which are typical gifts that a Vietnamese mother gives her daughter for her wedding day.<\/span><\/p>\n

M\u00f9i\u2019s new boss, a rich and young pianist in his 20s, has a French-educated, coquettish fiance.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe pianist and his girlfriend<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

She\u2019s the polar opposite of M\u00f9i, who is always seen in frugal attire and happy doing house chores in perfect quietness.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Secretly in love with her talented and indifferent boss, she cooks him elaborate meals and pays attention to the smallest details of plating just to make the food look as good as it tastes.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

And yet, the employer never seems to notice the young maid\u2019s efforts and even skips meals to enjoy his girlfriend\u2019s company.<\/span><\/p>\n

One day, the pianist and his high-maintenance lover break up. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

He starts to notice M\u00f9i\u2019s soothing presence and appreciates the minute details attended to by M\u00f9i that make his abode pleasant and his life fulfilling.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

He starts to fall in love with her and teaches her to read and write.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>IMDB\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Towards the end of the film, the couple are seen preparing to welcome their first baby.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/em> has very little dialogue and a simple plot<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span><\/em>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

This slow-paced film has little dialogue and relies purely on visual aesthetics and characters\u2019 actions, which are convincing enough to substitute the lack of spoken storytelling. Plus, while the movie plot is also very simple and realistic, it does well in making audiences slow down and try to find the complexities and meanings in its symbols and patterns.<\/p>\n

According to some critics, the lack of communication and twists in the movie even helps to enrich its artistry.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe boss lady and her son crying about the husband\u2019s desertion<\/span>
\n<\/span>Image adapted from: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a>
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

For those more in touch with Vietnamese history and culture, you\u2019ll quickly realize that this movie aims to celebrate the cultural values of Vietnamese women. Selfless, tolerant, and compassionate, the women in <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/em> embody the core virtues expected of and often seen in Vietnamese women from time immemorial.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nM\u00f9i bringing dinner to her employer<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

From the way the boss lady tolerates her husband\u2019s unfaithfulness to keep the family together to the thoughtfully cooked meals that M\u00f9i quietly and faithfully prepares for the man she loves even though he barely notices or appreciates her, the unconditional, often neglected sacrifices made by Vietnamese women are deftly portrayed in the movie. <\/span><\/p>\n

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\nM\u00f9i reading to her baby\u00a0<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

For those who are hooked on melodramatic films or action movies that burst with energy and are full of cliffhangers, <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/i> can be a little hard to digest – but is worth the time investment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. It was filmed on a soundstage in France<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nThe alleyway where M\u00f9i lives<\/em>
\nImage adapted from: <\/span><\/em>Georgia Elenko\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

To conjure up the nostalgic images and vibes of colonial Vietnam without filming in Vietnam or at least in a real-world setting is hard, but Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng managed to pull it off – in a soundstage.<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nThe family’s house boasts Vietnamese vernacular architecture\u00a0<\/em>
\nImage credit: <\/span>Tr\u01b0\u1eddng L\u00ea V\u0169\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Most studio films inevitably have artificial qualities about them, but <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya <\/span><\/em>is relatively convincing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nM\u00f9i admiring sparkling papaya seeds<\/span><\/i>
\n<\/span><\/i>Image credit: <\/span><\/i>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

The movie’s color palettes are filled with vivid imagery that transports the audience to the past and opens our eyes to the beauty of every little thing around us, from the big, sparkling eyes of a little girl to the glistening white papaya seeds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\nImage credit: <\/span>Boloji\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Flush with painterly visuals, subtle tones, as well as expressive facial acting, <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/i> illustrates the nostalgic picture of a colonial Saigonese alleyway.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. The movie received multiple prestigious awards after release<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span><\/em>IMDB\/Beno\u00eet Delhomme<\/span><\/em>
\n<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

For a movie filmed in a soundstage, <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/em> did pretty well.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the 1993 Cannes Film Festival, Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng won the <\/span>Award of the Youth French Film and the Golden Camera Award. In the 1994 Cesar Awards, Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng also received the Best First Work award for this cinematic masterpiece.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/em> was also nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film in the 1994 Academy Awards, a prestige that not many non-English films had those days.<\/span><\/p>\n

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5. It was made by Vietnamese-French director Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\nImage credit: <\/span><\/em>IMDB<\/span><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Aesthetics and recognition aside, one of the reasons why this movie has been all the rage with Vietnamese critics is that it\u2019s made by Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng, a Vietnam-born filmmaker.<\/span><\/p>\n

A highly regarded movie director whose acclaimed works include <\/span>Norwegian Wood<\/span><\/em> (2010),<\/span> Cyclo<\/em> <\/span>(1995<\/span><\/a>)<\/span>, and <\/span>Eternite<\/em> <\/span>(2016),<\/span> Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng is not a strange name in the global cinema scene.<\/span><\/p>\n

Born<\/span> in 1962 in <\/span>M\u1ef9 Tho<\/span><\/a>, Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng and his family moved to France after 1975. There he pursued a course in cinematography at the prestigious <\/span>Louis Lumi\u00e8re College and now lives in Paris.<\/span><\/p>\n

His wife, <\/span>Tr\u1ea7n N\u1eef Y\u00ean Kh\u00ea<\/b>, plays M\u00f9i in The Green Scent Of Papaya and also stars as the lead in many of his movies set in Vietnam.<\/span><\/p>\n

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A beautifully made film about Vietnamese women<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Visually captivating and meaningful in equal measure, <\/span>Tr\u1ea7n Anh H\u00f9ng<\/span>‘s <\/span>The Scent Of Green Papaya<\/span><\/em> portrays the sacrifices and loneliness of family-centered Vietnamese women in the old days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many were held to exacting standards in everything they did and were not free to pursue their happiness at the expense of letting their family fall apart and sullying their good names.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the core values that many generations of Vietnamese women have been brought up with, such as compassion and selflessness, are worth upholding, we shouldn\u2019t forget that our own happiness is also worth pursuing. Things have changed, as many doors have now opened for women from all walks of life, and all women should allow themselves to live their lives as they see fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check out:<\/span><\/p>\n