“The Graduation of Edison” plays around the themes of fitting in, being accepted for what you are, and, no less important, accepting yourself.
There are many strange and peculiar places in the world. Some discovered, some still hidden. Perhaps you have seen it, perhaps you have visited it. Pham Hoang Minh Thy brings you to a small village, where shortly after one`s birth, a tree grows on your head. You should take care of it until you reach 18 and graduate. Then, as a part of the ceremony, the tree is cut and planted into the earth. As odd as it sounds, it makes becoming an adult quite fanciful. But what if things don't exactly go as expected?
The Graduation of Edison is screening at the Osaka Asian Film Festival.
Minh (Nguyen Thanh Tu) is ten and is the only kid in the class with no tree. Feeling excluded, he spends his time with his only friend – his sister Edison (Cao Hai Ha). He even writes an essay about her. Without a tree, Minh is excluded from all the fun with classmates, gets laughed at. You bet he would do anything to grow one. His sister, for a change, is already graduating and doesn't feel ready to cut off hers. Even less as the tree goes full bloom. As much as this makes them two peas in a pod in the eyes of their classmates, their visible difference soon becomes an issue.
“The Graduation of Edison” sets up a romantic and breezy mood. Yet, it plays around the themes of fitting in, being accepted for what you are, and, no less important, self-acceptance. Moreover, it strides the family chord and the idea of sticking for your sibling. Nonetheless, the loose, romantic approach to the storytelling wanders off and dilutes the core ideas. Including the little play on Edison and Tesla that might be dangerous in certain regions of Europe.
In the end, Pham presents a film that is sweet and touching, and overall nice. That, however, leaves it too loose in the grip on its ideas. As “The Graduation of Edison” spends time building up the ambiance, the focus spreads in too many directions. Consequently, it sparkles just that much joy and adds the “but” after what would simply be praise.
