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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

Play trailer 1:55 Poster for Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell Released Jan 19 2h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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94% Tomatometer 53 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Winner of the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the enthralling Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell from Vietnamese filmmaker Thien An Pham is a reverie on faith, loss, and nature expressed with uncommon invention and depth. It's a simple tale told with visual complexity: after a car accident claims the life of his sister-in-law and leaves his 5-year-old nephew an orphan, a thirtysomething man named Thien (Le Phong Vu) leaves Saigon for a trip back to his rural hometown. During his meditative, wandering visit, Thien wrestles with his own agnosticism in the face of others' religious beliefs, summons memories of his long-disappeared brother, and reconnects with a former girlfriend who now lives as a nun at a Christian church and school. With its drifting camera, evocative use of natural light, and gratifying perambulatory nature, this is a film with the power to readjust one's perceptions of the world around us.
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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

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Critics Consensus

Following its own alluringly inscrutable path between past, present, reality, and dreams, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell rewards patient viewers with an absorbing spiritual odyssey.

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Critics Reviews

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Peter Bradshaw Guardian The panoramic intelligence of this film is a wonder. Rated: 5/5 Mar 5, 2024 Full Review Tim Cogshell FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) It's a slow roll, very much about the images, language, thoughts and ideas. Feb 1, 2024 Full Review Sergio Burstein Los Angeles Times The entire film is marked by the brilliant cinematographic language used by its director and screenwriter Phạm Thiên Ân, who, in his first long-term work, displays an impressive and calm handling of images. [Full review in Spanish] Jan 30, 2024 Full Review William Stottor Loud and Clear Reviews The Caméra d’Or-winning Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell struggles to fully deliver on its initial promise of haunting, exploratory slow cinema. Rated: 3/5 Sep 3, 2024 Full Review Lisa Laman Culturess Wanderers are everywhere. Less common are movies as precisely and beautifully crafted as Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell. Aug 22, 2024 Full Review Chuck Bowen Style Weekly (Richmond, VA) Thien An mounts compositions that suggest the Vietnamese countryside to be a heavenly, transitional realm. But the characters don’t open up to us, and so the film never becomes more than a technical achievement. Jul 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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William S Couldn't put Vietnam war out of mind. The crazy stupid Domino theory destroyed many American soldiers, a beautiful country and unbelievable culture. Cannot believe this movie wasn't a total condemnation of foreign policies leading to war or other acts causing suffering. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review Matthew R I know I'm supposed to like this and be all draw into the beauty and magnificence of the story....but I can't. Its incredibly slow and incredible long, almost 3 hours. I am sure the symbolism means something to those with a greater intellect than me but it just didn't work for me. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review sami p A miserable snooze-fest in the case if you're looking for an actually interesting story on any merit... This is the first time in my life I've actually been worried of falling asleep during watching a movie. There's so many scenes you could find online for "sounds to fall asleep to ASMR" The damn thing has two scenes of elderly people rambling on about literally NOTHING relevant to the movie, just some random nonsense... Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/31/24 Full Review David W Symbolic and beautifully filmed. Be prepared for three hours of meditation on death, loss, and meaninglessness introduced at a snail's pace. The true tragedy of this film is that the quest of the main character is unknown and woefully ambiguous. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/24/24 Full Review Matt G Symbolically loaded fare with Terrence Malick vibes - not to compare their work, but just so you have a taste of what you're in for. Gentle, compassionate, beautiful. Something to enjoy alone when in a meditative mood on a quiet night. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/20/24 Full Review L F So gorgeous & patient in its contemplation of faith & loss. I wish people realized how much effort and care goes into makes some of these delicate compositions. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/29/24 Full Review Read all reviews
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Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

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Movie Info

Synopsis Winner of the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the enthralling Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell from Vietnamese filmmaker Thien An Pham is a reverie on faith, loss, and nature expressed with uncommon invention and depth. It's a simple tale told with visual complexity: after a car accident claims the life of his sister-in-law and leaves his 5-year-old nephew an orphan, a thirtysomething man named Thien (Le Phong Vu) leaves Saigon for a trip back to his rural hometown. During his meditative, wandering visit, Thien wrestles with his own agnosticism in the face of others' religious beliefs, summons memories of his long-disappeared brother, and reconnects with a former girlfriend who now lives as a nun at a Christian church and school. With its drifting camera, evocative use of natural light, and gratifying perambulatory nature, this is a film with the power to readjust one's perceptions of the world around us.
Director
Pham Thien An
Producer
Jeremy Chua, Tran Van Thi
Screenwriter
Pham Thien An
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Production Co
JK Film, Fasten Films, Potocol, Deuxieme Ligne Films
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Vietnamese
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 19, 2024, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 19, 2024
Box Office (Gross USA)
$75.1K
Runtime
2h 58m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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