The Scent of green papaya = l'odeur de la papaye verte

Vietnam, 1950. Mui, a young country girl, joins a Saigon family as their servant and develops an enduring but secret attachment to Khuyen (Vuong Hoa Hoi), a friend of the eldest son. Some years later, when the family fortune declines and they can no longer afford to keep her, Mui (Nu Yen-Khe Tran), now 20, is sent to serve in the household of her childhood love who has now become a successful musician. Shot entirely in a French studio, Hung’s film is more concerned with the minute details of everyday Vietnamese life and the tones, colors, and feelings of a lost society. Hung casted non-professional actors, mostly Vietnamese living in Paris, who had to re-learn certain ritual gestures and Vietnamese language. His approach to this gentle world is reminiscent of Satyajit Ray and Ozu. He nudges the film forward by subtle, quiet strokes. Awards: French Academy of Cinema (1993): best First Feature Film for Tran Anh Hung ; Cannes Film Festival: Camera d’Or for Best First Film. Cast includes Nu Yen-Khe Tran, Truong Thi Loc and Nguyen Anh Hoa. In Vietnamese with English subtitles.