Cinematic jewel from Vietnam sparkles at ASEAN film festival

By Rayya Makarim

JAKARTA (JP): Subtlety in acting has never been a strong point in Indonesian films.

Every emotion is neatly packaged in what seems to be a stylized method of acting where facial expressions must match their corresponding sentiments. For example, if you are sad, cry profusely; if you are happy, laugh and laugh big; when you are crazy, pull at your hair frantically.

There is no hope of in-between emotions representing inner conflict and demonstrating the complexities of character.

It is not clear whether this is due to a mistake in the acting method taught to the players, a lack of directorial sensitivity or the failure of scriptwriters in creating reasonable stories and credible characters. Some argue that these are problems shared by other countries in Asia.

Yet, who can deny the wonderful acting in Zhang Yimou's brilliantly written and shot Raise the Red Lantern, the natural acting and simple storyline of Satyajit Ray's Apu or the masterpieces of Akira Kurosawa, Yasujiro Ozu and Kenji Mizoguchi? Without a doubt, these are stars in the world's film firmament.

But is there hope for the rest of the region?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat in Jakarta is holding an ASEAN Film Festival until the end of September. A collection of films from about eight different countries was screened throughout the month. One of those worth mentioning is Dang Nhat Minh's Nostalgia for Countryland, a work illustrating human relationships amid the harsh life of a farming village in northern Vietnam.

The story centers on Nham, a 17-year-old boy who is left behind by his elder brother to help and protect his widowed mother, his younger sister and his sister-in-law, Ngu. Ngu, who is lonely and misses her husband, grows attached to Nham, the only male in the house. When Quyen, a beautiful and sophisticated woman from the city returns to the village for a visit, the delicate relationship between Ngu and Nham is thrown off balance.

Quyen is nostalgic for her hometown and childhood. Her romanticism, however, is met with a harsh and impoverished reality of village life. For the hardworking and uncomplaining Ngu, seeing Nham and Quyen together makes her lonelier than ever. As for Nham, he finds himself embarking on a journey toward adulthood as he struggles with unknown feelings and faces confusion.

Nostalgia for Countryland does not waste its time with superficial conflict or with fast-edits and action sequences. To tell you the truth, nothing much happens in the film. Dang Nhat Minh's work offers a straightforward vertical story where the plot is character-driven rather than action-driven. Vietnamese have their roots in such places.

"Even if you are a city dweller, if you look into your past you will find your roots are in the country," the director explained when asked why he had chosen to make a film about a farming village. His intentions are focused and clear from the beginning.

Although the theme is not original, Dang directs his film carefully, never straying from the story and deeply embedding it in Vietnamese culture to keep it well in place. When Nham picks Quyen up from the train station, he does not recognize the grown- up woman and he waits until the station is almost empty. He is shocked when he realizes the beautiful woman is indeed Quyen. His awkwardness is apparent when he helps her onto his bicycle but, at the same time, Nham finds it hard to contain his excitement. On his way back from the station his narration is heard: I like lady passengers.

The contrast between rural and urban life is constantly exposed. Quyen stands out in the crowd of village dwellers with her hair loose and worn jeans. Two youngsters chew bubble gum for the first time. Although warned not to swallow, it is too late. The girl is horrified as she spits in an attempt to cough it up; it is cliched yet endearing.

The cast of characters plays off each other beautifully, delivering scenes that are simple and bringing a feeling of warm familiarity to the audience. All characters are represented: the urbanized woman coming home, the sad widow who lost her husband in the war, the lonely abandoned wife, the eccentric schoolteacher the adolescent reaching manhood. These characters exist in real life -- we know them and can therefore believe in their lives and identify with them.

The problem of mounting mediocrity in Indonesia is not shared to the same degree in Southeast Asia's film industry. Once in a while directors like Dang appear on the quiet horizon. Unfortunately, we are very slow in learning that simplicity has depth and, if handled well, elegance as well.

The ASEAN Film Festival also offers documentary films from the Philippines and Brunei. Additionally, for those who are familiar with Mamat, the comic character from Lat's Kampung Boy, it would be a crime to miss the new animated series to be shown Sept. 29.