Winner of the Tiger Award at the Rotterdam Festival earlier this year, ‘Bride of Silence' is considered to be Vietnam's first feminist film. Whether or not this is accurate, the film definitely communicates the timeless beauty, power and strength of women and documents the historical struggles and indignities that they have endured in repressive societies with striking composure.

Set in the lush jungles of rural Vietnam approximately 200 years ago, before colonisation and war, Hien, finally builds the courage to ask his dying step-father about the life of his mother, Ly An, which he knows nothing about. Tuy reluctantly begins to tell his son a legendary and tragic story about a young Ly An, whose innocence is stripped upon the discovery that she is pregnant out of wedlock. Deciding to remain silent about the father, she faces abandonment from her cruel father and persecution by death from her pious community in their pottery village. However, just as the illegitimate baby is to be set adrift in the river and left to God's discretion, a raging storm strikes down on the villagers saving Ly An and her baby from their deadly fate. Her relentless silence leaves the rest of her life an intriguing mystery, and results in her son, years later, to embark on a desperate quest for the truth.

Filmed in quite a cryptic manner, this film keeps the audience on their toes as they try to follow the story line. Throughout the film, I couldn't help but wonder if there is some deeper level of symbolism or a moral message attached to this story, but this is left to one's interpretation. The breathtaking cinematography of the natural scenery of rural Vietnam accompanied by the most haunting music gives this movie an overwhelming melancholy feel that sends chills down one's spine. Filled with the themes of love, jealousy and despair which is represented by exceptional acting, this movie brilliantly captures the essence of a heartbreaking epic tale against a most romantic and mysterious setting, leaving the audience bewildered, overwhelmed and deeply touched. As for Hien, we can only hope he finds peace and comfort in discovering the truth about his mother.

Film Rating:Well worth seeing.

Alex Cabrall