Nicholas Sparks once wrote, “The first time you fall in love, it changes you forever and no matter how hard you try, that feeling just never goes away.”
A cheesy statement coming from an author of romantic tearjerkers is to be expected, but there is truth in the fact that falling in love for the first time tends to create long-lasting memories.
And as such, the theme of a first love spanning decades is indeed the central point of Vietnamese director Victor Vu’s latest cinematic release, ‘Dreamy Eyes’.
Based on the novel of the same name by Nguyen Nhat Anh, the film was selected as Vietnam’s submission for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at the 2021 Academy Awards.
The romantic drama follows Ngan and Ha Lan, two childhood friends from the village of Do Do, through their childhood, adolescence and adulthood.
It is a coming-of-age film that depicts first love in the rose-tinted lenses of childhood, before breaking the illusion with the hard truths one learns as an adult.
While the film is not particularly ground-breaking in terms of plot, the cinematography is certainly something to admire, with the Vietnamese countryside being an exquisite setting.
Viewers can explore the beauty of rural Vietnam, with well-executed tracking shots that fully immerse viewers in the scene’s atmosphere.
It is also noticeable that during the earlier scenes depicting the characters’ childhoods, the screen is bathed in a golden light, a possible indicator of nostalgia and childhood innocence.
Despite their strong childhood relationship, Ngan and Ha Lan begin to drift apart as the latter moves to the city and begins to change drastically.
One can only watch on helplessly as Ngan struggles with his feelings for her, or rather, the girl he once knew her as.
However, there is also some frustration to be felt as Ngan seems to not understand that a romantic relationship simply cannot be ignited if no one is brave enough to make the first move.
As a result, the movie takes a bleak turn as she moves further and further out of his reach and his feelings for her become evidently unrequited.
It does raise the question of why Ngan continues to pine for her like a lost puppy when he fell in love with the girl he knew in Do Do, not the woman she became in Saigon.
One could suggest that his love for her had blinded him, that he would deny himself another chance of happiness with another person because of a vain hope that he could eventually be with her.
Stubborn or foolish, that is for the audience to decide.
In the real world though, it is important to remember that in relationships, if one party keeps giving more than they are getting back in return, they will eventually have nothing left.
Hence, the relationship depicted in ‘Dreamy Eyes’ is one that is highly idealistic and is very unlikely to be healthy in real life.
Now, back to the movie. Despite Ngan’s continued affection for Ha Lan, he moves back to the village while she continues living in the city, bearing the child of another man.
This leads us to the second half of the film, which focuses on Ngan helping to raise Ha Lan’s child, Tra Long, in her absence.
With Ha Lan barely making an appearance in the second half, she becomes something more of a memory than a character, both to Ngan and the audience.
With the stunning cinematography of the rural village making a comeback, the ugly truths of adulthood seem to vanish, if only for a while.
And things take a rather strange turn when Tra Long, an adolescent, starts developing romantic feelings for Ngan, who is about 18 years her senior.
While it is not impossible for two people of wildly different ages to genuinely love each other, there are certain moral questions that come to mind.
It certainly does not help that Ngan helped to raise Tra Long, which will leave audience members to shift uncomfortably in their seats.
One particular scene comes to mind, with Tra Long growing physically closer to Ngan in a move that can only be interpreted as an attempt to kiss him.
Thankfully, Ngan does not indulge her and pulls away, seemingly shocked and highly uncomfortable with the situation.
All in all, the film is a rather slow-moving coming-of-age film, depicting a genuine childhood romance and nostalgia for simpler times.
Instead of being just a run-of-the-mill love story, ‘Dreamy Eyes’ is a story that bids adieu to a past of childhood romance and feelings of nostalgia for the warm, familiar and comfortable past.
Dream Eyes is playing in selected Golden Screen Cinemas starting April 8.