Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
A FILM BY Pham Thien An
PRODUCTION GRANT - FALL 2020
On a street corner in Saigon city, a mysterious conversation is happening between three men at a street stall. Suddenly a traffic accident occurs, leading two of the three men go to see the accident. Except Thien, 30, who moved from the countryside to work in the metropolis years ago. He doesn’t seem to care because accidents are the most common things here. As rain pours down, everybody leaves.
Later, Thien receives an unexpected phone call informing him that Hanh, his sister-in-law, has passed away in a motorbike accident, where he has just left. With her, there was her son, Dao, a young boy, luckily only slightly injured. Thien is the only relative living in Saigon. So in the rainy night, he goes to the hospital to meet the kid and take care of all the procedures in order to receive and bring Hanh’s body back to his hometown. After the funeral, Thien stays in town for a few days to pray for Hanh’s soul with their relatives.
During this time, he meets Thao, a Sister (nun), a woman he knew from long ago who fills up his memories and desires. Thien decides to send Dao to Lovers of the Holy Cross, the local orphanage where Thao has dedicated her life towards. Then, he starts a journey to find his brother, Tam, the kid’s father, who had left for 6 years with a strange man. After a few more days spent searching, Thien finally finds Tam in a remote area. But the encounter does not provide the answers he was looking for. Thien has no other choice than to go back to his life.