von Platen et al.: Long Bien Bridge
Hanoi, Vietnam. A legendary bridge. People, people, people. Working, walking, exercising, motorbiking, repairing, waiting, cleaning, haircutting, cell phoning, water, steel, construction, trains from inside and outside. No dialogue, no interviews, pure observation, no arrangement, small sequences, small human interactions, small stories.
For what is a story? A story can be a raindrop on a chin. Or a mother counting with her small son. Finger by finger. Or woman in white crossing the square where everyone seems to cross on their motorbike. Or a hairdresser performing his profession under the dress. Or trading at a market. Like pearls on a string, the filmmakers bring us stories, one after the other with what seems to be an authentic sound design.
The 3 Danes were there in the spring 2007, I was there with 3 other Danes in December 2007. And can say that this is how it is. This is how I felt it. There is no such thing as an objective picture of a country, ans the filmmakers do not at all pretend to cover or prove anything, they were there, as we were, and the atmosphere they construct, the feeling of being there, is as it is. Watching, observing, being curious, there is a truthfulness in this documentary that is a much better invitation to go to Vietnam than hundreds of tourist clips and brochures.
The names of the filmmakers are Cai-Ulrich von Platen, Steen Møller Rasmussen and Peter Schultz Jørgensen. The film is 34:22 minutes long and was released in 2008.
Purchase:
Cai Ulrich von Platen
Værksted:
Værkstedsvej 40
2500 Valby
t: +4526716280
e: caiulrich@vonplaten.dk
Price: 100DKr. That goes to “Agent Orange Children”, Vietnam.
