Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (International title: Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell) attracted attention as the only representative of Vietnamese cinema participating in the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. The work surpassed many strong opponents to win the Caméra d’Or

After 3 months, the film was brought back to Vietnam by the distributor to serve domestic audiences.

The film’s story revolves around the journey of Thien (Le Phong Vu) – an unmarried young man, without a stable job, who is losing faith in life and experiencing a series of confused and uncertain days on the road of life.

One evening, Thien suddenly received news that his sister-in-law had just passed away in a motorbike accident.

While he still didn’t know his mother had passed away, Thien had to find a way to bring his sister-in-law’s coffin back to his hometown and organize a funeral.

Thien (Le Phong Vu) becomes his nephew’s only relative after his sister-in-law passes away.

The work is the first long film of Pham Thien An – a director who has experience in making several short films before.

With a duration of more than 3 hours, Pham Thien An integrates many messages about existentialism.

Religious elements are also intentionally installed.

The biggest highlight of Inside the Golden Cocoon is the visuals.

Through Thien’s journey, Pham Thien An leads viewers from the bustling scene of Ho Chi Minh City to the peaceful highlands of Bao Loc – also the director’s hometown.

His style is reminiscent of famous directors of slow cinema (contemplative cinema) such as Béla Tarr, Andrei Tarkovsky, Abbas Kiarostami,…

Filmmakers prefer long takes, one shot and limited editing.

Some images in the film.

With that style, mise en scène becomes a key factor to help each scene achieve the director’s desired intention.

There is a 25-minute long scene of a conversation between two characters sitting in a house.

When watching a movie, sometimes the audience will feel like they are enjoying a documentary.

The appearance of Inside the Golden Cocoon is reminiscent of Memento Mori: Earth (directed by Marcus Manh Cuong Vu) released last year.

Coincidentally, the directors intertwine real and virtual scenes, combining everyday scenes with dreams to highlight the characters’ inner thoughts.

But if Memento Mori: Land is inspired by the book by author Dang Hoang Giang, Inside the Golden Cocoon is built based on the very personal emotions and experiences of director Pham Thien An.

The film is deeply personal to the director.

With a duration of only 85 minutes, Memento Mori: Land failed to conquer the home audience.

Thanks to the achievements from Cannes, Inside the Golden Cocoon received a lot of support from the media and filmmakers when it debuted in its home country.

The slow rhythm becomes what helps the work stand out, separating it from many fast-paced, intense blockbusters.

Pham Thien An’s success is that he has built a very unique atmosphere, not mixed with any other Vietnamese works.