The Rivers

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Mai Hua, a Frenchwoman of Vietnamese origin, is a divorced mother of two children. In 2013, with her mother, she takes her dying grandmother back to France. When her grandmother is miraculously reborn, an unresolved past resurfaces: Mai becomes the heir to a complex and painful family memory that she does not want to pass on to her daughter. Through this lineage of women and their search for the truth, the director delves into a family archeology that is both intimate and universal.

- Darling??- Yes? Oh no I don't want to grow up

?I'm growing up too fast! - Why don't you want to grow up??- I want to press stop

- Dad is arriving

- Yeah! - Allo? - Can I watch it? - Watch what??- Watch

What you're filming! - You will see yourself

- I should use a toothbrush with two holes inside

- Come and kiss me, Dad is arriving

- Be careful! - What did he do to you??- He give me a kiss

No! No! No! - Pillow fight! - No pillow fight

No, no, no! - Have you seen how beautiful he is? - Yes, he's so beautiful

He has grown so much

- Look at me dad! - You are very beautiful too

- Bye!?- Bye mom

My uncle made this family tree some years ago

So you see I am here, with the two kids, my ex-husband

I am the elder and only daughter of three

My mum is the fifth of six

My grandmother

Great grandmother

And great great grandmother

And my uncle stops and says: "You see everything is normal"

"Normal"? but actually the real story is this one

So you see, new forks everywhere and the story is never the one we would like it to be

My great great grandmother was a very beautiful woman with a family, a husband and children but she was so beautiful that a Frenchman wanted to buy her

So it’s possible that her husband may have sold her to this man and out of that union, they had my great grandmother, who in turn fell madly in love with a man with whom she had an illegitimate daughter, my grandmother, who he abandoned having been promised to another woman

My grandmother was orphaned at the age of 10, and when she was 17 she fell in love with a man but the relationship was forbidden by her adoptive mother so she chose my grandfather

My own parents’ relationship fell apart and my mother left

Met a man who later died and now here I am separated from the father of my children

And then my uncle did something I found horrible

He put a cross through all the men of the family… like that and told me: that is the story: you come from a line of women who are unhappy with men

I have not suffered the way my ancestors suffered: I have not been sold or abandoned but I have inherited something from them, and if I don’t do something, I will transmit that to my daughter and it is not an option for me

I feel my guts torn appart just at this idea

Actually

I should do it this way

And I should do it this way because my daughter is called Tâm, and Tâm mean the «heart»

And me, my name is Trúc Mai which means «bambou flower»

My mother is called H?ng Loan, which means «Red Phoenix» and my grand mother is called Nh?t L?, which means «Beautiful Tears»

what a program! And then my great grand mother is called Pauline

There is just my great great grand mother: I don’t know her name

Show that to me

Oh wow

Show that to the camera

This is Tâm

- And this is Léo You saw us last year

- Can you remember? - No

?- No? Do you want to walk with me? Come! - Who is it? - She is Bà ngo?i (Bà ngo?i : maternal grand mother) - Who am I? I am the daughter of whom? - I don’t know

- Loan, I am the daughter of whom? Loan - Loan

Yes I know that

?- But am I your daughter or not? You don’t remember? It does not matter

hey,I am your daughter! Where do you want to go? Don’t worry! Come! Be careful, it is slippery

We are going to dinner

Do you want to eat a little more? -You come? - Come!?- Léo, do you want to come? - Hello Dad

Come and see

- He's got no teeth? - Léo, do you want to hold his hand? He is very happy about that

- Look he tries to smile

- Yes he tries to smile

-Why can’t he smile??-Sometimes it's difficult for him

- Indescribable

?- Yes, indescribable! - Here-Paris

Here-Paris

?How many kilometers? 121 Joan of Arc street

that is my home! too far, too far

- Press the button?- Where is the button? - We have an appointment Let us go

We are on the 2nd floor! - GrandMa? - So I'll prepare one, two

This is an anti-depressant

Let’s see how she reacts

Do you remember Trúc Mai??Do you remember? Where is Trúc Mai Mum, here is Trúc Mai? Here is Trúc Mai

Trúc Mai is there Where is Trúc Mai? Here is Trúc Mai Look! Here is Trúc Mai

Can you see? Okay sit down Can you recognize Trúc Mai? There is so much damage Can you recognize Trúc Mai? - She does not know anymore In order for mum to be in good health, she is going back home

So Dad please do not worry, Mum is going away for me to look after her So do not worry if you don't see her, Mum is back in Paris so that I, your daughter, can heal her

And when she is in good health, she will come back to see you

Dad, do you understand? - Dad, don’t worry

Dad, don't worry, okay? I'm going home to take care of Mum Oh I know

I need to buy a new pyjama for mum

- They have arrived - There will be a lot of people

Try to be calm in the plane, there will be a lot of people

Try to be calm okay? Give me your hand

- Does she have earrings? - What are you looking for? Okay, you can stand up, don’t be afraid

Come here, don't worry

We go to the car

It's almost finished

Don't worry, I'm right here with you

Don’t worry

- Hey! Be careful, be careful! - So many people here! - Where is the ambulance? (Traditional Vietnamese song - Dying night at Ben Ngu) You who returns to Ben Ngu I would like to leave you a message Can you remember the land of Huong Binh Of our youth Regretting so much love Our first love The trees are reflected in the Perfume River The boats are moored at the pier Tieu Tuong The mist falls on the soulless pier, even sadder Floating algae, wind, clouds, short night, languid love Who remembers that person from the very beginning? - What's that ??Oh, waow, so beautiful! - Slowly, Stop! That's not a good idea for a game

- Are you ready? - Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you

- Bravo! This is incredible Mum! You walk so well! Ah no, you are not allowed to touch this

Awesome! - Mrs

Can you reed ? - I am alive again! - So you know that later on, they are gonna perform an operation of your left eye, so that tomorrow, you can see clearly, and have a beautiful life

Okay Mum? - I am going to sting you

?- Ouch! - Ow sorry, it hurts a bit! I am not nice!?- Ouch! - 1, 2, 3, I am going to sting you

?- Ouch - I am stinging?- Ouch - It's over! Let your arm down

Relax All your body is a space of calm you see beautiful images that reassure you so you can appease all your body And all the parts of your body that need it

You feel well

Floating tranquilly and appeased in the deepest side of yourself

Your heart is as calm as a baby resting in her mother’s arms

And you cuddle yourself with your arms that appease you

You are yourself the mother of yourself

Great

- Yes

- Come here and sit down Mum

- Do you remember who I am? - Who is she? - Is she your daughter??- Yes, what's her name? - Trúc Mai??- Yes! - I still have a great memory! - Yes, you have a great memory! You're still solid! You're still strong! We are both strong, aren’t we? It is only 15 minutes since your operation

It's great! This is going to change your life

- I loved dancing when I was young

Ow I like to dance! I like to dance with… - I am going to find you partners

?- Yes please! - There are plenty of them

- Yes, because Peter… Peter… He is like that but

- Yes! Dancing with him is really not like zumba! Now I am going to do aesthetic medicine on your nasolabial area

Let's go

This morning, my mum had aesthetic medicine

Normally her lips are going down because of a facial paralysis, but I have filled it so both sides are approximately at the same level

- Allo Mum? - Allo - Can you hear me??- Yes, tell me! - Mum, I had a dream yesterday and… hum

It's a dream where I fall, I fall from the sky

- Yes? - I fall into the sea and die

-Oh no

really ? - Actually

I need you to explain to me why you left? - I left because

if I stayed I think I would have done something seriously stupid it's nobody's fault but

I was suffering so much

so a little bit to save my skin because

without consciously thinking, I take the door, I open it and I leave, you see? - But

Can you please explain to me

because I need to understand

I'm looking at my children and

when you're a mother and you have children how can you leave without them? I am so frightened that I might do the same

- I am so sorry! But I want to reassure you right now: you will never ever to do that! Because we don’t have the same stories

I must have been totally crazy

I needed to be protected

Because I had suffered too much

I was not a mother, that's it

- Yeah, yeah

- I could not be a mother because I was a child!?- Yes

- So I was doing my best, with what I knew at that time

I am so sorry that you are having these thoughts

never, never, I assure you, this will never happen to you! Do you know where the cloud is? I can tell you: it's right here

Right here in Tenerife

- Mum is awake! - Take this: it is very good for your eyes

Because you have had an operation

Here are plenty of berries, selenium, everything

With water

Take it

And then now you know how to do the washing up

If you put the bowl like that there will be water inside

No

You have to put it upside down

Upside down

No it is not clean

No, no, no! You have to return it

She needs more medicine

Why don't you understand? It's not complicated

Here is the place to put dirty dishes Look at this one: it is still dirty

Look, how do you turn the tap off? That is on

But it is not it this direction

Okay, great

What are you thinking about? - I want to go back to Vietnam

- You want to go back to Vietnam because it looks like Vietnam? - Yes

- Yes of course, we will go back to Vietnam as we planned! Of course! You have to take both at the same time, that's why you have two tubes

You put that in your mouth

And let me explain something to you

Just forget about this medicine

You put it under your tongue, and forget about it! - I have 4 pills in my mouth

?- Okay

It's normal

Sit in front of me

Because I need to explain something to you

So you have to be in front of me

so that my message can get through to you

We have to look at each other

Let me explain something to you

You see grand mother? I mean my mum

Do you know why she is doing that all the time? One day, she had a very big pain, very very big pain

Someone hurt her a lot

One side of her face

Listen to me carefully

One side of her face got paralyzed

- What does that mean??- It means that normally we smile Or blink the eye like that

But for her, everything was paralyzed, on her right hand side

If you learn that your grand mother has been paralyzed, in principle, do you feel sad? Or you don’t care? - I'm feel sad

- Of course you do because you have a big heart, you have compassion inside, so from now on, you can tell yourself «How can I be scared of someone who is the grand mother of my mother, the mother of my grand mother, someone who belongs to my family… How can I be scared of her? I created these stories that she is a scary person and got frightened by my own imagination! it is my imagination that created the problem

» Do you know I did cosmetic medicine on her to make her beautiful? I am going to show you pictures, you won’t believe your eyes! Is it a picture that scares you? - Yes

- Explain me why

- Because she is not beautiful with these trousers

- Ok, now tell me: do you think that in life, people who are ugly should thrown away? Can we exist on this earth while not being beautiful? - Yes

- Of course we have the right to live, so everything is not about beauty, it is about feelings

So there are things that very extraordinary, things that are less extraordinary, some they are mediocre, some are really not nice, and some are really terrible, but that is life

- Look at that! Look at that rainbow mum, look! Look! Look! On my side!?Turn the camera, can you see it? - WOW, of course yes

- No but wait

It is extraordinary, I have never seen that

- Look at that!?- oh wow! Mum it's incredible

?- It's on the rock, amazing

I wonder if I am going to put some orange

I have to be ready for the builders It is important, to wear perfume, even in the dust

It has always been important to me to be be pretty but even more during refurbishing

This is the

how can I say, the weapon

The secret weapon

This is Rambo Luciano, Rambo Morices, you are all rambos! What’s your name? Johnny? "Johnny Be good"

Do you know the song? - I have some memories but not so many

?- Which memories? - Pfff, Memories

?- The earliest from your childhood? Even with you, I don’t have that many memories

- Yes, but I think it happens with people who have traumas, and in order to protect themselves won’t remember anything

You were such an easy child to raise

- I know I have never misbehaved in my whole life

And everybody was saying : "She is so pretty, and she’s intelligent, and she’s manual, she even performs in sports!" I was the perfect girl! Everything was happening outside of me, to be perfect

But inside, it took me so much time to just begin to explore anything

That is why I chose

I chose men who don’t suit me, because… it is also why people give me presents I don’t like, because, even for myself, I am an alien! - That is interesting because so far, I mean from my point of view, you were trying not to be like me

And

It has been 17 years since I am with Olivier And since the very beginning, No, I mean, since you are a woman, he has told me : - "You will see, she will be like you!" - "Mai is going to be like you"?! I was telling him: "Of course not! Look, she is wearing big thai pants, whereas, I wear super fit short skirts, glitter

She wears big old shoes", I was telling him "of course not, she will never be like me! Never!" And he was answering «Yes, she will be like you! You will see»

Whatever, there are chromosomes, there are genes! - Yes but the question is not about «Will I be like you or won’t I be like you?» and logically, as a teenager I would oppose you Logical, right??- Yes - And remember at that time how tough it was between us, I remember at Georges’ place, (Georges = my mum's second and dead husband, ie

my previous stepfather) I was praying like « please, I don't want to be like my mum, make me different from mum, please, make me a different mum,” - Yes, have you seen how sick I was at that time? - It was horrible

It was horrible at Georges’ place

Horrible! I remember i was playing the piano and he was behind me mocking me

- What do you mean? - He must have had enough of me playing piano so he was standing behind me ridiculing my playing

- He was so jealous

- Can you imagine? I was a child and there was this man behind me

- I did not know

You should have told me

- He was watching when I was taking my shower

- Really??- Yes

- What? You should have told me!?- I couldn’t

- The shower upstairs? - No downstairs, with the jacuzzi like here! - But where was I??- I don’t know, but you were there

- wow

I didn't know! You were 15??- Yes, it blocked me

- You should have told me! That is why you are like that! - Come on, I am no more «like that»

- You don’t know, it is like a rape Mai! - It was horrible

- Why did not you tell me??- He didn't come systematically

But he did it once

- You only remember one time??- Yes, I can’t remember more

- Maybe it was more than just once

?- I don't know

- Ok, you could not see him looking at you??- Yes I saw him

- Did he leave you??- No he was insisting, he stayed there

And then he told me: «You were not so prudish when we were in Corsica»

That is so horrible! - I did not have so much awareness in those days 

- On the contrary, something in you did, otherwise you wouldn't have picked up this perverted man

Because he represented your father

- Exactly

?- If Georges had not been perverse

- I would not have been with him! - Yes he was violent like my father, perverted like my father, alcoholic like my father

- He didn't beat you, did he? - No, he didn't beat me but he was very violent in his words because he was drinking, like my dad

He was not alcoholic but every time he drank wine he… actually yes, he was alcoholic! - You see there is progress because I have never been with an alcoholic before! - But you don’t know everything?about Georges’ perversion! - Yes of course I know

He was seeing other women

- Yes and guess who was welcoming them at home? - Well, who? I don't know

- Me! I had to bring them back home for him! I had to tolerate it

I was crying and I was actually doing what my mum was doing for my father and it was the same for the grand mother and the great grand mothers, since they were bought

They were bought by men so indeed, women are nothing

I didn't know this was our family story, I knew afterwards, can you see the power of family memory?! - I did not have men like that

?- Fortunately, but still

- My syndrome is more about waiting for the father

- Ow you are "waiting for the father"? - Yes! I am waiting, and waiting, and waiting

?- You see? - I am waiting for my man to do something for me, I am waiting for him to stop talking about his work I'm waiting and I tell him, but I keep waiting, and actually nothing will ever happen

- Mum, I was awake before you??- Ah yes? And you didn't make any noise? - If you take the right medicine, you can’t have a bad breath! - Interesting

?- it is linked to the colon! - Bad breath is due to colon disorder??Stop it Léo! - Daddy? Dad? «Great grand mother» never listens to grand mother

She tells her to come and she does not

And we hear «Ouch!» and it is great grand mother who is bleeding

- Mum

- Leave her alone

?- OK, what does she clean? - My coffee cup

GrandMa, what happened to your face? - What??- What happened to your face? - I fell!?- You fell? - Arf, since I got back to Paris I… - Can you remember??- Of course

- So what happened??- I don’t know why I fell

- Does it hurt??- Yes it does, it still hurts a bit

- Yes, on your mouth??- Oh life! Life isn’t good! - What? Life isn’t good? See where you are! - You are in paradise, aren’t you?!?- Yes it’s paradise

Paradise… - So you see, she wants us to behave the way she wants

- Of course, cats don’t do dogs

- Yes but in that case, she should go to a retirement house She can’t live at my place, with me, and oblige me to do things the way she wants

When I was a child, I was scared of her, and I am not anymore! It does not mean she has to be scared of me in return, but the roles are reversed

No, no, no

?- No in Vietnam! I am not lying, I am a catholic, I am not lying! - All right

?- I am not a liar! - OK OK

- And if you want to send me back, I will accept it but I am not a liar! My husband has Parkinson's, and can’t be healed! - And so what?! What is the point? It's not because your husband has Parkinson's that we have to put up with you

- No, no, no that's not that

- You keep complaining all the time

- I don't complain all the time, that's not true

?- Yes

- Have sympathy for me!?- I have sympathy for you! - No you don't

And why??- Why what? Why what? - If you want to send me back, I will accept it

- Send you back… to where? - To Vietnam!?- I'm not sending you back

You are complaining, mum

You won’t spend your life complaining all the time! What else can I do? You have anti-depressants, your have medicine

I give you everything you need! You are angry, angry all the time

Just because Peter does not meet your demands! It is the only reason why! You have to stop being irrational! Actually it comes from your story because you don’t have a father, but the story is over now

You don’t have a father? Forget about him

He was not even worthy of being your father

You're 90 years old now, forget about that! You have to understand that! Without a man, you're not nothing

?That's not true

Mai is single, I don’t have a man

Imagine us moaning all the time the same way?! «I need a man, I need a man»

You think you are a victim, like «I am alone, nobody loves me» this is not true! We are 4 generations around you and what do you perceive? Nothing! «I am all on my own on this earth», you don’t see all the people around you

I am sorry to tell you mum, you have a bad character! You don’t have a good character

You don’t share good things with us

What you want from us is to do what to want us to do

Sorry the answer is no! - Don’t be afraid of her

You know she is shouting but you should not be afraid of her

- What is your concern about your husband??- My husband? My husband is in bed - Do you want us to see him? To visit him in Vietnam??- No

No he can’t be healed

- Yes but you could visit him??- No

- Why? (H?ng Loan in the background : "You see? I told you")? - I don’t want to go

- You can see that all this is not really true! It is not because there is no man for you on this planet that you are worth nothing! - Of course not

- Ok she is 91

She can’t think properly

It is not her fault

- And it is the same for boys! - Hey?! You were listening??- It's the same for boys

- It does not fall on deaf ears! So if you don’t have a woman in your life it does not mean

- We are worth nothing! - Okay it is over now, have sympathy on me

- You always ask for sympathy Sympathy, as if you were cursed! You always act as if you were a victim

?- I don't cry

- Always asking for sympathy

And you, do you have sympathy for me? Do you have sympathy for people? For your children? For whom? Fo no one! Who did something to you? No one! What did we do to you? Nothing! It is your father who left you alone! Not me! All your children who got beaten! Where were you at that time? You were hiding next door!?Did you save us? Could we say: «Dad have sympathy for us, don’t kill us!»? No! We got beaten

We had to cry silently, with blood on our back! - What did you think about it? - I thought that

It was

Weird

?It was

Like that: a fight

And what I understand is that what she feels is that her father totally abandoned her, but it is not that

- Yes, it is

- It is not that they don’t love each other, it is that they

- Are you okay Mai? - Yes!?- It is so difficult

- Yes

?- There is a big confusion

- It is difficult for me, and for her too

She did not notice I was in the room and I overheard her complaining about her life

It has to stop! She keeps repeating the same things all day long! In therapy, we say we must avoid repeating over and over again

That is what we call mental rumination Mai! That is mental rumination

?- Yes I understand

- What does rumination mean? - It is like «bla bla bla», like a cow

But instead of ruminating grass, she ruminates mental thoughts, I’d prefer grass

- You see what I mean Tâm? - Yes she does that Yes! She keeps ruminating all the time! - At the same time, it is true that it is hard for her

- Yes and that is why she needs a therapist! But you see Mai it is not all negative

After the fight, she came to see Léo and showed him interest in what he was doing

You know, we adore each other

In love there is pain and anger too

- Yes but between you two, there is a lot of anger

- No

Have you showed her the film? You will see! No! We don't have that much anger

It is just once in a while

But, we have very strong characters

Because my mother’s father was like fire

It seems he could get very angry

So indeed, we inherit a little bit of his chromosomes! Unfortunately! That is why we meditate! Do you understand? - We learn to accept

?- Why doesn't she meditate then? - I will teach her! I was my father’s thing

I had to pull out his white hair

He never beat me but he beat everyone else

So I witnessed everything

I saw everything

And it is even worse because it was my fault

Every evening I had to tell him: «Dad, my brother did this, my brother did not give that to me and my sister shouted at me, etc

» So everybody was punished

And why did I do that? Because he was feeding this unconscious relationship, I don’t know what was happening during the nights

I was only 5, 6, 7 or so

My father was not raised by his own parents, but by his uncle who kept beating him like hell

It is all this violence he has held and passed on to us

Of course, when you are drowning, it is only when you hit the bottom, that you can push yourself back to the surface

Stronger than ever

That is how I became so strong

And even more, if I may say: so powerful

But sometimes, this power is so huge I find it difficult to channel it and it can get self-destructive

- You know, your name is Red Phoenix and

?- It is a sign! - You are a survivor

- Yes! And that is why my favorite song, that everyone ask me to sing all the time is «I will survive! I will survive!» - Okay! I have pressed the button, you just have to put me in the frame now! - What is that? (Traditional Song - Going Back to Hue) To thy who returns to Hue, welcome Return, and see the mountain Ngu Return, and see the Perfume River Which is still full of loving water The bird from the mountain Ngu is waiting for his friend's return Oh my beloved, I think of you very dearly - I feel like a Prince

- Do you? - Yes To thy who returns to Hue, welcome - How are you? Can I kiss you? I though nobody could so I am so happy! So let me introduce you

- Next week, I go back to Vietnam

?- Ok

what for ? - To see Pénélope

- Pénélope??- Pénélope, my girlfriend

- Why are we together? My mum just asked me: "What's happening? What am I doing here?!" So I told her: "Mum, this is for your birthday!" Bravo to my mother, Mrs Thai, who is, I guess, 19 years old today or… You can swap the figures, so she is 19 or 91, as you wish! - Where am I? I am this green lady there! - But Mum, you just gave birth! - Mum, did you do this haircut on me??- I think so

- No question people were saying I was an ugly baby! - Of course not! You were so cute! - Who is the little girl??- I'm so weird on that one

- You're so beautiful Aunty Loan

?- Who's the little girl? - People know when they are about to pass away

Why can’t I heal my men? The men of my family

I can’t heal Georges, I can’t heal my brother, I can’t heal my father

- Yes mum, but you can’t heal everyone

It is not because you are a doctor that you must heal everyone

- No of course, but what I mean is that I am never with them when they are about to leave this life

In Georges' case, it was a little bit special

But for my brother and my father

But that is the way it is, it is their story

- Yeah, it is their stories, not yours

- I hope GrandPa will be able to

How can I say, I hope he can

Wait for GrandMa to arrive

I am going to send meditation so that can happen

It is going to last couple of days max

- There are only few days left? - Yes, next week, it will be over

What is important

When you are with someone who is about to leave this life

There is no time to waste

You have to share something

Even if it is pain, whatever, We need to share something

Do you understand the word "to share"? It is about exchanging, giving a message to the other person, receiving a message from him

To be able to give and receive

The message is not only words: it can just be a feeling, a wink of an eye, a tear, all these can be the message

The only thing is to be present, to really feel that

If you close your eyes, if you are scared, you can't feel anything

Do you understand? Yes I know it is very difficult! For me too, it is very difficult

I feel sad

Because GrandPa is in pain

This makes me feel sad

But, I don’t feel sad because we are going to be separate

Because I know, we are not

I know he will aways be here

- Do you think I will arrive too late? - No! You mean, in Vietnam? No! He is waiting for you

He has not left yet, he is waiting for you

That is why we are coming back He is waiting for you Mum! 3-8-5-8-4-1-3-8 - No, no

3-8-5-5-4-1-3-8

- When can we see GrandPa? And where? - I don’t want to wait until tonight

- What? - We don't wait until tonight! - No, no, we are going now

- Prepare yourself

?- Why is it so far? - Hello, do you hear me? -

from now until 11:00 the buffer is already put on paper - Of course he will recognize you! Of course

- It is so hard for me

- Yes, but it is harder for your husband who is going to die! - You have to think about that

I know it is hard

- What can I do??- There is nothing to do

Okay

Keep calm, don’t cry

- I am still strong

I hope he will recognize me

Where is he??- He's right here

You can see Father here

- Dad, Mum is coming to see you

- I am scared

- Don’t worry

He is like on Skype

He is the same

Keep calm

- I am Marthe, do you remember me? Open your eyes! Open your eyes, I am your wife

Okay? Can you hear me? Can you hear me? You are still cute

You are still beautiful

I love you very much

Darling

- Come on, GrandMa

Let's go to sleep

Lie onto the bed

Come on

Go to sleep

- But I don’t know

?- What? - I don’t know where Kiem is (her husband, my grand father)

- My make up is done! Do you want some top coat, so it lasts longer? - Yes

- Peter is English but he is older than me - But Peter isn't older than you, he's twenty years younger than you

- Do you think so??- I

know! - Listen Mum, Peter is 70 years old, you are 91

- It does seem so! He looks older than me

With his white hair

- Ah and what is the colour of your hair then??-

normal! - Can you help me close this dress? Is there a zoom on your camera??- No

- Close your eyes

You will be so chic! Oh you don’t have a bra? Whatever! If you want you can have a boobs’ reconstruction later! - What have you done Léo??- He gave that to me! I did not made this on purpose but the part on the forehead is bigger than the part behind

Is it pretty? Daddy? Léo, look at me

Léo?! - The waterfall is there! - We have not brought flowers

?- Yes but Uncle has

- It won’t be our flowers then

- Where is GrandPa??- Here

- That is what he looked like when he was young??- Yes

- We are all catholics, you see? - Really, you are not Buddhist? - No - What does it mean "be catholic"? - That means we believe in the god of the Bible, in Jesus - I believe in all the gods - You believe in all gods? - There are plenty of dirtiness here - It doesn't matters There is your Grand Mother’s dad’s grave over there

- Really? - I'll show you, are you coming Mum? Look, his name is Antoine

- And where is her mother? Is she in Hanoi? - GrandMa’s mother is in France

- In France?! - Yes, Pauline Fochard - Pauline Fochard… so she went to France without her children? without… GrandMa? - Of course

- I can't believe it

So she has left her children? All of them? Poor GrandMa! - This is very very important

Because, I have been wondering for such a long time… how is it possible?

That one day

Though I loved my children, at that time, as much as now… Hop! I left my children there, took a suitcase, put my clothes inside, and left! I left Trúc Mai, Trúc Lâm, Trúc Anh, and Mr

Hua (my ex-husband) and I left and never came back and I could never understand this force guiding me and actually it comes from this lady

- Yes! - Who… To some extent… How can I say that?! For me, it is about family memory! I did what she had done! But I could understand why

- That's it! We don't know why! - And I left, and I left the children

That’s it! Listen, I gonna sing for you, the song it call "Mum, the most beautiful of the world", it's for your birthday

- Yes, but don't let me cry

?- No! You don't cry, look

- But you can cry!?- That's right

As you wish

"Mum, you're the most beautiful in the world

None around is more beautiful

You have for me, it's a bit strange, The face of an angel of paradise

In all my travels I've seen landscapes, But nothing's worth the image of your beautiful grey hair

You are, Mum, the most beautiful in the world, And my joy is deep, When at my arm, Mum, You put your arm

Mum, you are the most beautiful in the world, Because so much love flows in your beautiful eyes

For you, that's true, I am despite my age, The little discreet child from happy days

" - Mom! Look!

Audio and subtitles

Audio:

  • English

Subtitles:

  • Spanish
  • English

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