The Scent of Green Papaya

Tran Anh Hung’s slice of life shows the world through the eyes of a Vietnamese peasant, Mui, as she grows up in Saigon starting in 1951. It won the Caméra d’Or (best film by new director) at Cannes in 1993 and is the first of five collaborations between him and his wife, Tran Nu Yen Khe.

A slow-burn with exceptional camera-work, this film is a hidden gem defined by its contradictions: the minimal movements and stillness in the shots highlight the constant motion of everyday life. A story filled with emotionally charged themes such abject poverty, familial abandonment, and unrequited love ends up being a relaxing and poignant tale.

The greatest contradiction however is Mui’s ability to find beauty and joy in the simplest things around her. A drop of water dripping onto on the leaves outside her window or the scent of a green papaya which she so meticulously chops up. It reminds us that happiness comes from within and has little to do with wealth or what’s going on around us. It’s a choice we make every day - how to perceive the world and whether to love it or not.

This is a beautiful movie because it shows life through the eyes of someone who finds the world to be beautiful.