The Scent of Green Papaya (1993)

We find ourselves in a small village in Vietnam with singing crickets filling our ears, as a gentle breeze flows in through the window. And although the downpours come and go, many things remain unchanged much like the weeks before. Just like the marching ants and bouncing frogs who fill their wakefulness with daily tasks, so too must you, your neighbors, and all that you will ever know.

 

Tran Anh Hung’s 1993 feature film, The Scent of Green Papaya, is an experience for the senses, one where plot takes a backseat to observe the phantom pangs of nostalgia, melancholy, and unchambered presence, as if rediscovering what it’s like to see, touch, hear, taste, and smell for the very first time.

 

To equate what it is like to view The Scent of Green Papaya is much like finding a brief moment of respite in the day to day dizziness that we tend to find ourselves in, where a certain gap in the clouds catches the attention and reminds oneself that there is an overlooked beauty in nature’s lovely mumblings.

 

As always, thank you for listening, and we hope you join in on the discussion.

 

Where to watch:

Hoopla (Stream in the US with a library card)

Vudu (Rent or Buy)

Amazon (Rent or Buy)

 

Instagram:

@lefilmpodcast

 

Twitter:

@lefilmpod

 

Send us questions, feedback, and film recommendations at:

lefilmpodcast@gmail.com