Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Chirphymium
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Beulah Bram
A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
sekander
Its hard to imagine a country that has been through more heartache and tragedy than Vietnam over the last 100 years. Occupied by the French, then the Americans, then the Russians....the mere fact of their survival points to a strong, national character and the movies coming out of this country over the last 15 years or so all have a strong moral compass and a soul rarely seen in Western films these days. Continuing in the fine tradition of films like The Scent Of Green Papaya, Cyclo, Three Seasons, etc., Owl and the Sparrow is an absolute jewel. Its hard not to be touched by the gritty, 3rd World reality forced upon children who have no time to be kids. The suffering of the Vietnamese people over the last 100 years has imbued them with a dogged determination to overcome at all odds and the little 10 year old girl, Thuy, who is the main focus of the movie, shows that grit and determination while still retaining the adorable charm of a child. And I don't like kids!!!!!Enough people have commented on the plot line and the technical aspects before. Suffice to say this is a feel-good movie of the first order. If you are not emotionally all in by the end of this movie, better check your pulse.
jonathanmhoffman
As the adoptive father of a Vietnamese orphan, I was absolutely blown away by this film, about a little girl, orphaned, who is living with/working for, her verbally abusive uncle and runs away to Saigon, where she lives on the street, selling post cards and roses, until she befriends a young adult woman and becomes the matchmaker between the woman and a young man. It's charming, but also heartbreaking because of the honest portrayal of children living on their own on the streets of Saigon, left to survive for themselves. There, but for the grace of God, could go my own lovely daughter. How rare it is to have four characters who are each so honest and genuine.
alienworlds
I went to see this film not expecting it to be anything much but I thought it was a respectable effort after I had seen it. I must admit I was surprised to be the only person in a cinema with about 200 seats-I think that speaks to the way people are avoiding going out these days in general more than it speaks to the quality of the film. The use of colour in the film was very good and the part played by a kid was very well done-it is a film that also shows various shots of kids all over the Vietnam area and I think some other places also-sort of like a 'homage' to kids-as they are often forgotten parts of the modern world in many ways in the sense that modern society is mostly about being adults-people forget there are kids growing up all over the place taking in the never ending adult self gratification show from a distance. The film is sensitive and intelligent-and not in English-it is in Vietnamese, but has easy to read English subtitles. Great shots of grinning kids from all over East Asia. Fun and a treat if you like world cinema.
fertilecelluloid
"The Owl and the Sparrow", the first feature from Stephane Gauger, who also wrote the screenplay and shot it, is an effective drama about a young orphan girl, Thuy (Pham Thi Han), who escapes from her uncle's factory and lives on the streets of Saigon. There, she befriends a kind zookeeper and a flight attendant. Various dramas flare as young Thuy becomes involved in matchmaking, fleeing from the police, and helping an elephant survive. The film's strengths are in its writing and performances. The young lead actress is extremely good, delivering a mature, layered, inspired performance. What lets the film down, especially during its first half hour, is the camera-work. It is unnecessarily jerky and often out of sync with the momentum of the emotions. When we're being drawn into the film's heart, we're also having to deal with motion sickness. Jerkiness does not equal edginess. The material here is strong, so strong, in fact, that it does not need shots of photographic adrenalin. Thankfully, the camera calms down and the rest of the movie is highly watchable and allowed to proceed without interruption. Hopefully, Gauger will trust the material and the performances next time. Still, this is a fine achievement.
