Discovering and presenting aspects of whole countries that are not particularly known outside their borders is one of the essential goals of the documentary as a medium. Francois Bibonne, a history graduate with a passion for classical music, decided to spend fifteen months in Vietnam, the country of his grandmother Thérèse Nguyen Thi Koan, in order to connect with his lineage through music. In the process, he came up with a documentary that reveals a little known fact of the county, that of the penetration of classical music in its culture, and its combination with its traditional sounds.
“Once Upon a Bridge in Vietnam” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
In order to present both aspects, Bibonne has come up with an approach that lingers between the travelog and the documentary, while combining a number of different elements in order to structure an intriguing narrative. In that regard, an interview he gave on a local channel regarding the documentary he shot is juxtaposed with photographs of him as a kid with his grandmother, while his search throughout the country has him interviewing various members of the national orchestra of Vietnam, a choir of blind singers inspired by French tunes, a workshop manufacturing wind instruments in a catholic province, while his trip even brings him to the forests close to the end of his film, in yet another aspect of the musical legacy and culture of the country. Moments of his traveling in the country, usually in black-and-white are also interspersed, while comments about his effort to learn the (rather difficult) language also appear, highlighting the fact that the whole endeavor is also an effort to communicate, both with the locals, but essentially with his legacy as a member of the diaspora.
Considering the number of different elements here, the editing emerges as one of the most crucial factors regarding the quality of the film, and it is easy to say that Bibone himself has done an excellent job. The succession of the scenes is quite fast, allowing for all the elements to be presented in as much thoroughness as a film of 44 minutes permits, while the rather fast for a documentary pace works excellently in terms of entertainment, making the movie quite easy to watch. The amount of information is also intense, and considering the nature of the theme, adds even more in that regard.
On the other hand, sometimes the focus on Bibone himself does go a bit overboard, with the scenes with him riding a bike in the beginning of the movie, for example, being essentially unnecessary. Truth be told, the film works much better when the focus is on the music and the overall culture of Vietnam itself, than when Bibone turns the camera on himself. Thankfully, the former takes the majority of the duration of the movie, which is what makes the whole project a successful one.
“Once Upon a Bridge in Vietnam” may have some issues in the aforementioned axis, but it is also a very interesting documentary that shows that Bibonne has an eye for the particular type of filmmaking, just needs to work on his choices regarding his content. Fans of (classical) music and cultural documentaries will definitely have a blast with this.
