Three Seasons MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: +1

In the hot and oppressive climate of Saigon, three different stories unfold that represent the technological changes and postwar healing taking place in present day Vietnam. Kien An (Ngoc Hiep) is a young woman who is hired to pick lotus flowers and sell them in the city. Through her persistence she meets her mysterious employer, Dao, and becomes his scribe. He is a poet who lost his fingers and face to leprosy, and has since hidden from the public. Also told is the story of Hai (Don Duong), a cyclo driver who befriends a prostitute, Lan (Zoe Bui). He begins to chauffeur her around, and they develop a kind of loving relationship that she has never experienced before. Finally, an American soldier named James Hager (Harvey Keitel), who is in the city looking for his estranged daughter, encounters a young street peddler named Woody (Nguyen Huu Duoc). Thinking the American stole his merchandise case, Woody wanders the streets searching for Hager and the missing case. Each of these stories contributes uniquely to the film, but only Hai and Lans relationship is developed as fully as it needs to be. THREE SEASONS was critically acclaimed at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah, but is not likely to fare as well in wide release around the country. Nonetheless, the story is touching and the cinematography is wonderful with stunning shots of the city and the natural beauty of Vietnam.

The relationship between Hai and the prostitute Lan is particularly worth noting. Hai respects her as a person, unlike other men who just want her for sex. Hai simply gave of his time and himself to try and make her life worth living. This kind of giving and love is reminiscent of Jesus and the kind of love he had for others. The film contains relatively little objectionable content. Foul language is limited to one moderate crudity and 2 s-words. In one scene a woman is seen wearing a nightgown, and her veiled breasts are visible for a brief moment. This same woman is also topless at another point in the film, but only her cleavage is visible because she is lying on her stomach. Both of these scenes are non-sexual, and happen to be very touching and important to one of the three stories. For this reason and the lack of other objectionable material, we can give THREE SEASONS an acceptable rating for its intended adult audience.

Preview Reviewer: John Adair
Distributor: October Films, 65 Bleecker St., NY, NY 10112