A beautifully-shot film which brings a much-needed splash of tropical colour to the period genre. The story is simplified enough from the book to make it easy to follow, and Marguerite Duras's negativity is less pervasive, just confined to Isabelle Huppert's role. Even if there's a subtle attempt to highlight the historical colonial issues, the film's best moments are in the one-to-one relationships and the characters' efforts to come of age and make a better life for their family. Pleasant.