Scent of Green Papaya ( Viet-Nam, 1993) – Living the Present

A young girl, Mùi, who is gentle and peaceful, becomes a servant for a rich family. The often absent husband leaves taking with him all the household’s money. He becomes ill and returns only to die shortly after.  The years pass and the family falls on hard times. Two sons have left and the wife now realizes she considered Mùi one of her own. However Mùi changes homes. She becomes a servant for a pianist who was a friend of the family. That man is engaged to be married but is alienated from his fiancee. He starts a relationship with Mui and this causes the engagement to be broken off. The pianist educates Mùi and they get married.

Questions about the Film:

– One review site describes the film this way. “The film is about everyday spirituality from an Eastern perspective. Mui, as a young girl, has learned the art of stopping the world. She savors the drop of milky sap on a leaf and looks with wonder at an ant carrying a heavy load. She dances the day instead of working it by relaxing into her chore. She has mastered the inner smile; her entire being radiates warmth and peace. And as a young woman, Mui shows that one must be patient with love, allowing it to unfold in its own special way. Then it can be cherished and tasted slowly.” ( http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=3700). How has Mui mastered the art of living in the redeemed present, in terms of her self-understanding, her relationship with others, and her dealings with the world?
– How would you describe the pacing of the film? How does it contribute to its meditative stance?
– Is there any particular sequence in the film which strikes you? What is it, and can you explain why this is so for you?
– How are the senses evoked in the film, and to what effect?
– Why is the film entitled “The Scent of Green Papaya”?

Questions for Prayer and Reflection on the film as an exposition of living a Redeemed Present:

– Living a Redeemed Present asks us to be attentive as a spiritual practice. What insights in the practice of attentiveness does the film offer to us in our own spiritual journey?
– Mui is focused without being intense. What is the source of her devotion which makes her tasks not mere duties but a way of being present to life?
– Do we regard the world around us as a source of wonder or with suspicion?
– Post-modernism does not talk about people having “essences” but suggests rather their sense of identity comes from “subject-positions”–i.e. how they relate to others and how others relate to them. For some this is purely institutionalised and professional; for others it is based on inter-subjective feelings; for still others there is a the call to community and its intimacies. In the film we see all three perspectives operating. And their effects. When we look at our lives, our families, and the people we associate with, can we examine our subject relations with them. How does this affirm or deny our attentiveness?
– It is through our senses that we engage with the world. What power does our sensuality play in our presence to the world? Is it a source of delight and play, or is it restricted?
– What is the gift of our space that we offer to others? How is it constructed?
– Being attentive we are often caught in the tension between intimacy and convention. How does this tension play out in our lives?

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This reflection is taken from www.fgitd.ca – a website which was developed to deal with current films and with further insights into the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. 

Finding God In the Dark: Taking the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius to the Movies (Novalis) by Canadian Jesuits, John Pungente and Monty Williams, answered a need for those looking to have access to their spiritual life but who did not have access to spiritual direction.  The web site  – www.fgitd.ca – continues this work. Please go to the web site for further material on the theme of the reflection.

The 2013 series –  Redeeming the Time – available on the web-site  www.fgitd.ca  allows users to explore the ways in which God uses our responses to our past, how we live today, and how we anticipate what is coming, to develop a deeper spiritual intimacy with God.   Earlier series – beginning in 2005 – are archived on the site. Check it out . . it could change your life.