the audience applauded

Don't listen to the negative reviews

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

There are, unfortunately fewer and fewer films which have such an impact.A story about parallel lives, A tricycle/rickshaw driver (very sympathetically portrayed) a young child, and Harvey Keitel as a retired GI searching for his lost daughter. A poet dying of leprosy, recruiting an apprentice.It is interesting to see the sights of Saigon, and Vietnam as it is being rebuilt- a massive five-star hotel built next to poverty stricken residents (How is that different from Atlantic City, New Jersey)?. The cinematography and soundtrack is both peaceful and disturbing. The photography of the young street children, playing soccer in the rain, is unique and touching. The scenes of the rickshaw driver, and his tenderness toward a local street-walker, are especially endearing. He saves his hard earned money, just to bring her to the expensive hotel, and watch her sleep, undisturbed. Some of the scenes will touch your soul, and you will empathize with the characters.A reviewer had mentioned the fact that American life is so much more materialistic, and visual imagery such as this, the lotus pond, the autumn leaves can no longer be appreciated in America. What a sad commentary. Anyone who has traveled overseas will learn there is a whole world, much of which does not subsist by weekly trips to shopping malls and strip malls. Thank God for that, and Tony Bui's creative vision.

This film is a quiet, thoughtful and engaging look at a cross-section of modern Vietnam...It takes us through the lives of several people in a careful and moving way, but it avoids being sappy or sentimental by being honest.This film is beautifully written and filmed. Sometimes sad, sometimes (oddly and fleetingly) humorous, sometimes bittersweet, often poignant, this movie reminds us to take chances and to seek out and clarify the threads of connections between us all.You will enjoy this film if you are patient and observant. There is a real balance in this film between accessing the viewers' emotions (without imposing on them) while still providing intellectual stimulation and food for thought on many issues. Reminders of American influences are everywhere in the film, but are not overtly stated. Instead, they form the backdrop to tell a series of stories. I particularly enjoyed wondering how each story might connect to other or if they even would.Remarkable. Enjoyable.

My opinion is quite the opposite of a prior viewer Brian Orndorf. He asks rhetorically "Maybe I missed something?" In my opinion he certainly has.I caught only the last 1/3 of this movie but I was riveted to my seat within 2 minutes of viewing. Here's what I loved about this movie.1 Beautiful cinematography. I especially liked the visions of dark rainy streets among other things. Every scene has a poetic flow. In short the photography is superb2 The poetry and songs are lovely and work perfectly with the cinematography, and the individual stories that gradually unfold in time3 The film conveys the gentleness of the Vietnamese culture as well as the harsh poverty and the widening gulf between the "have's and have nots" a characteristic not unique to this regionI'm certainly looking forward to seeing this wonderful movie in its entirety and recommend it to any sensitive viewers. If you enjoy movies like King of Masks, Central Station, City of Lost Children, Hotel Splendide, Red Lantern, Eat Drink Man Woman, etc. you will probably like this movie. If you don't like this genre then don't waste you time and stick with the usual mass market Hollywood drivel.

Vietnam is one of the most beautiful places on earth, despite the troubles it has seen in recent decades. This movie captures that beauty magnificently. The story-telling style is steeped in the Vietnamese tradition of story-telling, which might not please everyone who sees the film. Several stories intertwine, but without "all joining up at the end" in a cheesy, Hollywood way. The stories touch on the legacy of the war only gently, while focusing on the genuinely difficult lives that most Vietnamese people now live and the strength of their spirit. Having been to Vietnam, this style reflects the place in modern times very well. If the charm and beauty of South-East Asia is your bag, then surely this film will please you. If you wanted a Vietnam War movie with Harvey Keitel, you'll be much disappointed.