Taste

Le Bao’s challenging debut feature from Vietnam should appeal to admirers of the avant-garde.

Reactions to a film such as this are bound to be so diverse that the value of rating it is severely limited. Taste, a first feature following a number of shorts, is the work of the Vietnamese director Le Bao and its nature is probably best indicated by pointing out that critics evaluating this film have chosen to compare it with the cinema of such directors as Pedro Costa, Tsai Ming-liang and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. That's evidence enough that Taste belongs in the sphere of avant-garde cinema and that its appeal is decidedly specialised. One can describe its characters and their setting but no conventional plot is attached and it is exceedingly difficult to decide what the purpose of the film is. However, for those who can adjust to works of this kind it is certainly worth investigating.

The central figure here is a Nigerian footballer named Bassley (Olegunleko Ezekiel Gbenga) who is living in Saigon. He plays on a football team and is hoping not only to get by but to support his nine-year-old son left behind in Nigeria. He does other work too but living conditions are primitive for him and for those women whom he assists in their work. Shot without camera movement and without a score, Le Bao’s film gives us glimpses of their lives including food being prepared, a hairdressing establishment and factory work but the only actual event to occur early on is Bassley's dismissal from his team due to a leg injury. These scenes do, however, illustrate the power of the image and Le Bao in these early stages packs them with details that take the eye. Compositions remain carefully considered throughout and, aided by the photography of Nguyen Minh Phúc, Taste certainly has visual appeal.

Although the dialogue remains very limited we do as the film develops get occasional passages in which Bassley or one of the women comment on their past experiences. Nevertheless, the intention here seems to be to give a generalised portrait of the restricted lives of poor people in which the dominating factors are work, food and sex (the latter viewed positively even if Bassley’s involvement with one of the four women made prominent here is seen as a source of jealousy and resentment). The middle section of Taste concentrates on the five characters sharing accommodation together. They are alone but for a young pig and for no obvious reason this segment is played with the cast nude throughout. However, while this fits with the film’s sensual view of bodies, the players are not exploited by it and, indeed, the bodies on display are not chosen for their obvious beauty.

The last third of the film does not suggest any real development. There are to be sure moments of tenderness and touches of poetry (the latter includes the deflation of a hot air balloon late on, this being in contrast to an early scene in which we see it being blown up). Nevertheless, the ending is downbeat: the last image of Bassley speaks of his loneliness and it is in keeping when a mouse that appears from a hole in the skirting board to look around readily draws back. Taste takes a sad view of human life, but beyond that it's up to each viewer to read into it what they will: I much prefer films that are clearer than this, but this is good of its kind and those who like that kind may well love it.

Original title: Vi.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Cast: Olegunleko Ezekiel Gbenga, Khuong Thi Minh Nga, Le Thi Dung, Nguyen Thi Cam Xuan, Vu Thi Tham Thin, Tran Van Coi, Nguyen Thanh Hoa, Bao Nhi.

Dir Le Bao, Pro Weijie Lai and Thi Phuong Thao Dong, Screenplay Le Bao, Ph Nguyen Vinh Phúc, Pro Des Le Van Thanh, Ed Lee Chatametikool, Costumes Que Thanh Nguyen and Tien Quang Nguyen.

Petit Film/Deuxième Ligne Films/Cinema 22/Senator Film Production/Effortless Work-Mubi.
97 mins. Vietnam/Singapore/France/Thailand/Germany/Taiwan. 2021. US and UK Rel: 16 February 2022. No Cert.