Dap cánh giua không trung (or) Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere (Vietnamese, 2014)

Though this plotline is nothing new it is the realistic writing that makes this a much more interesting watch. The movie is interspersed with some poignant moments – Tung – the naive brute showing his affection to the pregnant Huyen in simple and beautiful ways. Her neighbor Linh(the transgender hustler) who believes in astrology and is afraid of the police but always gives Huyen the company she needs. The dreams that Huyen has on the abortion are simple yet conveys the confusion. The weird and sensitive doctor who Huyen meets as a prostitute to earn easy money – is interestingly characterised.

The performances by the lead actress as the confused pregnant teenager Huyen who battles internally about her unborn kid is good and it takes the movie throughout. But the performances by the supporting characters – the transgender hustler, the sex crazy but naive boyfriend, the sensitive doctor client Hoang all standout.

There is literally no music in the movie other than occasional humming or buzzing sounds that rhythmically for a pattern. All sounds in the movie are diegetic – but this works very well for the realistic tone of the movie.

Similarly all the sequences are shot in natural lighting – Tung and Huyen talk with the fridge door open – the ambient lights are used perfectly to add to the realistic tone of the movie. This makes the cinematography even more alluring as it doesn’t stick out.