When the Tenth Month Comes (1985)

  'When the Tenth Month Comes' (Bao gio cho den thang muoi) is a 1985 Vietnamese film directed by Nhat Minh Dang.

  During the closing days of the Vietnam War, Duyen is a wife of a soldier who has left for the South Western front. She has a son, Tuan, and lives with her father-in-law's family awaiting his arrival. Duyen gets a telegram that says her husband has died. She hides this from the family, and sacrifices her own personal feelings for the family. The father-in-law has already had one son die during war time, and it is the anniversary of their mothers death. Telling the family now would hurt them, so she withholds the information. She then gets a school teacher, Zhang, to write letters to the family pretending to be the dead husband.

  I never knew a Vietnamese film industry existed. Only China, Japan and South Korea have critically acclaimed film industries, so I was intrigued when I found this film. I had no idea what their cinema would be like. Turns out it's completely different from anywhere else.

  The many wars of the 20th Century has scarred their country. Instead of British and American movies focusing on the hero's of war, 'When the Tenth Month Comes' focuses the effects of war on the family. It approaches the subject with no remorse, and doesn't hide anything from the viewer. It's gritty realism is combined with beautiful cinematography, to create a film unique to Vietnam cinema.

  In some parts it feels like 'Pather Pachali', in other parts it feels like 'Uncle Boonmee who can Recall his Past Lives'. The films inspirations are coming from Thailand, India and China, instead of Japan or the West creating an cultural atmosphere, I have never seen before.

  The story concerns a small family in Northern Vietnam. It doesn't focus on big events, but on family attitudes and behaviours. The characters of the family are carefully carved out, creating a terrific character study. The film accumulates power throughout, resulting in a devastating end scene. It's inevitable that the family will find out what happened to the father, but Dang takes a wonderful route to get there.

  Obtaining this film could be tough, but it's worth your time to do so as many people consider it the best Vietnamese film ever made.

TO CONCLUDE
A beautiful insight into the affects of the Vietnamese war on a small family.

SCORE
85