The sound track is amazing, constantly awash in the droning hum and scrape of life, so much so that the spare moments of non-diegetic music seem almost plastic and intrusive. This film's milieu is an overly stylish and vibrant sort of poverty (which always bugs me a little), and the underlying story is exceedingly simple, but yields to a spontaneity and fluidity of expression that I find intriguing, if not entirely effective.

The story is a bit well-worn for me: the way urban youth get caught up in crime. Yes, that's a bit simplistic, but that's the gist of the story.

Why do I not love you Anh Hung Tran?

An achingly beautiful film, Cyclo's strengths are formal more than narratival. I especially appreciate the elliptical editing, particularly the way this stylistic choice invites the viewer to engage the film. Of course, the look of the film is consistently stunning, presenting this world in a way that contrasts with the harsh realities on the screen. I find such contrasts productive here, yielding insight rather than obscuring the difficulties of the poor.

This is a relatively weak effort from Tran, compared to the films that bookend it. It's a standard "good people face hard times and lose their innocence" story... we've all seen this before in one form or another, and Tran isn't bringing anything new to it. The visual artistry is impressive, but the script leaves something to be desired.

Defenseless souls abandoned on the road with no choice and no future. Innocence paint with violence and metaphors. Story linked to the impact of absent father. Absolutely beautifully shot and told.

Violent, confusing, gorgeous, bloody, unsettling. My only complaint is that it overuses subtlety and leaves too much unanswered. Warning: animals, people, and souls were harmed in the making of this movie.