Owl and the Sparrow

Xuân Thu and I catch "Owl and the Sparrow" at our beloved Kabuki Theater on V-Day. It's part of the San Francisco Film Festival and tells the tale of 10 year old Thuy who escapes her uncle's sweatshop on the outskirts of the City. She makes her way into Saigon in search of her dream - which is revealed gradually as the movie progresses. The movie also portrays the kindness of strangers - a definite anodyne to the dysfunctional nightmare of "Slumdog." There's also a sweet love side-story in there.

Stephane Gauger, the director makes a brief appearance before the start of the movie. He says there really are four protagonists: Thuy - the little girl, Hai - the zookeeper, Lan - the flight stewardess, and the City of Saigon itself.

Bonus: Pham Thi Han who makes her cinematic debut as little Thuy bears an uncanny resemblance to Xuân Thu at around the same age. What's not to like?

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