Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (2023)

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell (2023). 2h 59m

“Surrounded around the dense fog, this film is always in a wet, cold, dark, pouring or misty or cloudy atmosphere with many long shots and several silent scenes at a slowly pace. Since Thien got the news of his sister-in-law Teresau0026#39;s death, he had fell into the state of sorrow deeply. He took care of his nephew Dao but couldnu0026#39;t reply this little kidu0026#39;s simple questions: What is the u0026quot;beliefu0026quot;? Where is the u0026quot;Heavenu0026quot;? Can you(Thien) take me to the Heaven to see my mother?u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt the same time, we can see Thien walking or wandering in the nearly invisible fogs, trying to open up his own self-discovery journey about hunting for his brother Tam. For him, this so-called u0026quot;Godu0026quot; took away his dearest family Teresa(by a traffic accident) and his lover Thao(by making her to be a nun).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd there are some strange dreams intertwining the reality in a mysterious way, such as Thien found Tamu0026#39;s new wife and their infant in Son Dien, then they went to Tamu0026#39;s house. They didnu0026#39;t find Tam. There were just several rows of yellow cocoon shells in front of Tamu0026#39;s house.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThose indications can point one core question of this film: u0026quot;Should the existential meaning of human life depend on the God and the religion?u0026quot; It leads to the simple pursuit of this film: A person who pursues the meaning of life grows from living in religiosity(like social and collective rituals or any forms) to living in spirituality(like ultimate personal salvation). That is, as the title of this film, I think u0026quot;something inside the yellow cocoon shellu0026quot; is Thienu0026#39;s lost soul (as the old ladyu0026#39;s saying). Through one of his dreams, it reveals subconsciously as the symbol of his missing brother.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAt the last scene, Thien lay down in the small river, resting at ease, peacefully. It seems that he finally found his answers from the dreams. Although the searching is fruitless, his soul is still gradually recovering.”