In the past few days I’ve shot at a mediocre gallery opening (curated by twin artists whom I might or might not follow), met a few young expats, shot at a king’s tomb currently abandoned to renovation, and been rejected by the female poet for recording an interview due to health problems (but she was really sweet on the phone).

I’m slowly coming to terms with the choice I began with to do an essayistic project (à la Chris Marker’s Sans Soleil) instead of an observational documentary. I’m worried about relate-ability / readability since I want to screen here in VN in the future though. Of course, I think I’ll narrate in both English and Vietnamese and subtitle accordingly, but the form is what most concerns me. Unless driven by a strong, empathetic narrative voice, the piece can be clichéd, flat, impenetrable, or worse, solipsistic. In any case, I am committed to this style now, and perhaps I’ll make my next project in the form of classic doc.

Meanwhile, I’ve gotten my hands on photos, finally. Here are a couple (courtesy of PiC) to illustrate my previous entry.

Photos by Amanda Howard