Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
6.894%68%
After his sister-in-law dies in a freak motorcycle accident in Saigon, Thien is bestowed the task of delivering her body back to their countryside hometown. It is a journey in which he also takes his nephew Dao (5), who miraculously survived the crash. Amidst the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Thien begins a search for his older brother who vanished years ago to hand Dao over to him - a journey which deeply questions his faith.
Kevin Ward reviewedJuly 1, 2025
A glacially slow and meditation on faith, grief and death. What’s most striking about the film is consistently long takes. Shots often open well before a traditionally shot scene was begin. Two minutes of a static shot of the sun rising and a rooster crows before the characters enter the frame. The camera lingers long after the dialogue has ended and characters exit frame. There’s a superb 30+ minute long take that starts in a yard then follows the main character getting onto a motorcycle, and riding across town and pushes into a home where he has a long conversation with the man there. It’s really impressive work with the camera, so I definitely appreciate it for that. However, it really unnecessarily pads the runtime to nearly 3 hours. I probably wouldn’t recommend it for anyone other than the cinematography junkies out there. Also it has like a 30 minute long cold open as well, so there’s that to appreciate also.