8.5/10 —> 4.25/5
This was a great film. Very solid filmmaking and acting all around the board, but especially from the lead, Chloé Djandji, an incredible child actor, her first gig as well.
Chloé was stellar at portraying the reserved, shy and traumatized Tinh, showing clear acting abilities in the way she keeps the reserved demeanour, yet shows so much feeling and thought at the same time. We are also seeing things in her perspective and memories, leading to the interesting structure of the film, as well as how we see them. Particularly on their journey away from their home country
I really liked a lot of the camerawork used in this film as well. Lots of broad views and long shots, which is interestingly something I’ve noticed is very common not just in indie cinema, but in Quebec films as well, such as Les Chambres Rouges and Vampire Humaniste; its an interesting stylistic choice that’s more common here than elsewhere, from what I’ve seen. Its very well conceived cinematography as well. One moment I really appreciated was when they are getting onto the boat, and as Tinh struggles to stay afloat, so does the camera, since the film’s in her perspective. That was a great moment of camerawork. I also love all the shots where Tinh is standing and staring, as those are perhaps the most emotionally charged scenes for her, and where Djandji truly shines the brightest.
Tinh and Johanne have the cutest friendship, as well. Even with her still being shy, you can tell how close Tinh feels to Johanne, particularly when they cry together alone towards the ending minutes. Speaking of Johanne, Mali Corbeil-Gauvreau is also great, and has superb acting chemistry with Chloé Djandji.
The whole film is very grounded and raw in its storytelling and dialogue. It takes on a very shy slice of life approach while in Quebec, whereas in Viet Nam and on the way out, it is much more hectic and heavy, again influenced by the perspective of Tinh. Its thanks to this perspective that it all feels so much more visceral and scary. She and her family, as well as many, many others, went through much hardship to emigrate as refugees, and I do also want to note that, though it isn’t an experience I’ve had - it portrays the immigration very well from my life outside knowledge. Others may be able to correct me, but it feels very realistic to me. Particularly for Chloé, it is an immense adjustment - particularly due to language. One moment that hurt my heart was when she asked her mother to speak in their native tongue, but she refused rather coldly, and though we didn’t see Tinh’s face for most of that shot, the hurt was tangible.
I am definitely glad that I saw this one - it was well worth the viewing.
8.5/10
