Three Seasons (1999)

An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the ... See full summary »

Director:

Tony Bui

Writers:

Timothy Linh Bui (story), Tony Bui (story)

Stars:

Ngoc Hiep Nguyen, Ngoc Minh, Phat Trieu Hoang

7 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ngoc Hiep Nguyen	...	Kien An
Ngoc Minh	...	Truck Driver
Phat Trieu Hoang	...	Huy, Dao's Headman
Diem Kieu	...	Singing Lotus Woman
Hanh Kieu	...	Giang
Duong Don	...	Hai, Cyclo Driver
Huu Duoc Nguyen	...	Woody, Child Street Peddler
Hong Son Le	...	Binh, Cyclo Driver
Ba Quang Nguyen	...	Don, Cyclo Driver
Huu Su Tran	...	Ngon, Cyclo Driver
Duc Hung Luong	...	Minh, Cyclo Driver
Harvey Keitel	...	James Hager
Diep Bui	...	Lan the Hooker (as Zoe Bui)
Hoang Trieu	...	Man Who Chases Lan #1
Tran Long	...	Man Who Chases Lan #2

Storyline

An American in Ho Chi Minh City looks for a daughter he fathered during the war. He meets Woody, a child who's a street vendor, and when Woody's case of wares disappears, he thinks the soldier took it. Woody hunts for him. A cyclo driver, Hai, gives a ride to Lan, a hotel call girl, and starts waiting for her daily; he falls in love with her and tries to break through her tough veneer. Kien An, a young woman, takes a job harvesting lotuses in the ponds of Teacher Dao, a reclusive man who has leprosy. Her singing awakens him from depression, and he asks her to write down poetry he has composed. The characters' paths cross in small ways, around flowers and kindnesses.

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Plot Keywords:

leprosy | poetry | post war | song | saigon | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements

Details

Country:

Vietnam USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

30 April 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Tres estaciones

Filming Locations:

Vietnam

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$47,542, 2 May 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,019,237, 22 August 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Giai Phong Film Studio, October Films, Open City Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min 105 min (German)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The first American film to be made in Vietnam after Bill Clinton lifted the embargo. The filmmakers were followed by Vietnamese inspectors throughout filming.

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Quotes

James Hager: I made many mistakes in my life. That was a long time ago. Have I met the same man I was then? A lot of times past. When a chance comes around to make a wrong a right it's a special thing. But I hoped to make one thing right.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

Good Ol' Rock-N-Roll
Written & Performed by Eugene Chrysler

User Reviews

Delightful Original movie

My opinion is quite the opposite of a prior viewer Brian Orndorf. He asks rhetorically "Maybe I missed something?" In my opinion he certainly has.

I caught only the last 1/3 of this movie but I was riveted to my seat within 2 minutes of viewing. Here's what I loved about this movie.

1 Beautiful cinematography. I especially liked the visions of dark rainy streets among other things. Every scene has a poetic flow. In short the photography is superb

2 The poetry and songs are lovely and work perfectly with the cinematography, and the individual stories that gradually unfold in time

3 The film conveys the gentleness of the Vietnamese culture as well as the harsh poverty and the widening gulf between the "have's and have nots" a characteristic not unique to this region

I'm certainly looking forward to seeing this wonderful movie in its entirety and recommend it to any sensitive viewers. If you enjoy movies like King of Masks, Central Station, City of Lost Children, Hotel Splendide, Red Lantern, Eat Drink Man Woman, etc. you will probably like this movie. If you don't like this genre then don't waste you time and stick with the usual mass market Hollywood drivel.