INSIDE THE YELLOW COCOON SHELL

Saigon, a football match, then a bar: Thien sits with friends, arguing over the value of faith. Shortly afterwards he learns of the death of his sister-in-law Hanh in a motorcycle accident; her five-year-old son Dao has survived. It falls to Thien to bring the body and the boy back to their home village and arrange the funeral. In the countryside he begins to search for his older brother Tam, who disappeared years ago and now needs to learn that his son needs him. The search leads through encounters, memories and dreams in which reality and vision can no longer be told apart. “Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell” by Pham Thien An, a Vietnamese film from 2023, is a journey inward that begins as a transfer of a body.

The Vietnamese director Pham Thien An co-produced his feature debut with Singapore, France and Spain: 179 minutes, long unbroken takes, a sound design that makes the landscape audible. It premiered in 2023 in the Quinzaine des Cinéastes in Cannes, where the film won the Caméra d’Or for best first feature; major prizes followed in Tokyo (FILMeX), Singapore and Pingyao. It was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2023.

Shown at the 2023 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2023 · Film Archive