79 primaveras

Seemingly a portrayal of Ho Chi MInh, in reality it's rather a look on the tragedy of the Vietnamese in general - although it denies an obvious (even if not the ultimate) reason for it. It's refreshing to see a film on the Vietnamese war lacking the usual American trauma - and this film is provocatively beautiful in its own right.

Alvarez is a master of political poetic film-making, though this isn't quite his best work. The immediacy of its subject, the Vietnam war, has been lost to time and so as a viewer I lack the background knowledge that would heighten its emotional impact.