The narrative starts from the areas surrounding Mekong river and focuses on three women from an unknown village. Hau is in a relation with Duong, one of the fishermen in the delta, but their relationship is far from good as he’s always off somewhere, and even when he comes back, there is nothing to talk about, not even with his wife. The reason is common in the village as well, because Duong was always in love with Nhan, a girl from his childhood who resides somewhat near and is married to Tam, a local cottage industry which makes ceramics.
Loan, a divorced woman marked as ‘odd’ by villagers, was reunited with her rapist after decades of his absence, her fellow village head, accompanied by a local Monk. She desired revenge but soon enough her thoughts about that elder man turned out to be starkly different than her initial ones. Everyday life and the female relationships mentioned earlier collide all the more when a child dies, which is followed up by some ‘natural fires’ which are disclosed to be caused by arson later on.
I can’t confirm whether Bui Thach Chuyen is a fan of Korean movies, but anyone who has seen the film Glorious Ashes is likely to be struck by the parallels it shares with two of Kim Ki duk’s films The Isle and The Bow. This can be in regard to Duong’s narrative in the delta region or the general culture of the village while also recalling Lee Chang-dong’s Burning, as Duong tends to light more fires as the movie draws closer to its climax.
Moreover, apart from this barely noticeable similarity, the film has three axes. The first one is, in fact, the lifecycle in the given area which Bui Thac Chuyen depicts it through the eyes of his camera. He uses, mud and river sepia that are constantly interrupted by flames and skies above where Duong goes fishing to seal the setting. This tendency perhaps renders Nguyen K’Linh’s cinematography one of the highlighting features of the film’s storyline, even though after a while, the visuals can get a little bland due to the absence of contrasting colors. Another component to this is the social power aspect the rumors and interference of go-betweens, modern civilization bonding and integration and the strong bonds, characteristic of small communities, that are present quite clearly in this fairy tale village.
The second is the romantic aspect, appearing in the triangle that is shaped between Duong, Hau and Nhan, and the impact it has in the lives of everyone involved, and particularly of the first two. The extremes people reach for love is also showcased here, in a way, though, that portrays the sentiment as a curse rather than a relief or any kind of wonderful feeling.
Lastly the mystery surrounding the fires, which Bui teases us from the beginning, adds yet another level to the narrative, which is eventually connected with the two aforementioned, and particularly that of love, in an aspect that is perverse as it is interesting.
Admittedly, the plot of the film is convoluted and fascinating enough for Bui to make several comments. At the same time, though, I can understand the director’s careful approach directed at the cinematography, as his preferred techniques however brutal the sequences may be, they do convey a sense of realism, and consequently, power. As a result, the film becomes slow and tedious, even though the narrative describes events that are awesome, if not staggering, and jaw-dropping. In that regard, Julie Beziau’s editing falls somewhat short in terms of the apogee of the story, although the rhythm is kept remarkably stable throughout the movie.
Communicating with a dominantly quiet husband is just as fruitless for Hau as it is for Phuong Anh Dao who plays an “apple of discord” actor named Nhan, and for that reason, Jarad Rushing’s tweak to unite the two was quite convincing later on. Quang Tuan as Tam shines closer to the end, rounding up the overall quite good performances here.
“Glorious Ashes” has its drawbacks, especially when it comes to how it fails to make proper use of its story, but the three main aspects of the narrative carry it past any shortcomings, therefore concluding a film that is quite faithful with its essence. Given that premise, which is rarely depicted in that particular way, a film definitely deserves to be watched.
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