INVISIBLE LOVE (TINH YEU VO HINH) receives its’ World Premiere as part of the Paris International Film Festival, taking place online from 4th – 14th February 2021.
Tickets available at: https://www.parisintlfest.com/
The complexities and consequences of love in various forms come both to the surface and in the subtext in the period drama INVISIBLE LOVE (TINH YEU VO HINH).
Set in 1930s French Indochina, it is the story of a nurse, Nguyen Thi Hoa, who at the outset is on trial for the murder of her husband Ziao Degui, a co-worker at a trading company. Facing up to the consequences of her actions, she is jailed pending an appeal.
She then (through a series of flashbacks) reflects on the relationships she has had with the men she has encountered – American physician James Marquis, who wants to marry her but in light of his Catholic faith has to get an annulment and insists on Thi Hoa converting; an old school friend, Hoang Van Nam, a colonial army soldier and the owner of the trading company, Li Jiru.
Thi Hoa is troubled with a young son she is trying to protect, but has an illicit affair with both Marquis and another man, which causes consternation and controversy in the locality….
A reminder that the path to both dishonest and true love is never straightforward, INVISIBLE LOVE is a competent and reflective film, not designed to fulfil the classic romantic drama narrative, but merely to provide context and empathy to all of us as we carry on our own journeys to find true love and happiness.
The setting and conflicts, particularly in light of the French occupation, are only touched upon in passing and this might have made for a more intriguing reflection on how love is affected by the context of politicial and social development in a conflicting and vibrant time of Twentieth Century history, but this is about the emotional, rather than political and social, battles of individuals facing up to their own life journeys.
It’s a beautifully rendered film, with some stunning visuals and an excellent costume and production design pallet. Good involving performances from all involved fulfil the obligations.
