Who's there?
- It's Mui. - I'll let you in.
Come in.
Follow me.
THE SCENT OF GREEN PAPAYA
It's Mui, our new servant.
Poor thing, she walked all day to get here.
If Tho were still alive, she'd be about Mui's age.
Don't talk about her.
She may be better off where she is now...
It's almost curfew and Trung isn't home yet.
Mother is getting ready for bed.
I'll go see if she needs anything.
- Ah, Trung! - Still up, Dad?
The mistress says you can sleep in.
I'll wake you up to make the fire.
Remember, for this dish, the fat needs to be very hot.
When you sauté the vegetables,
brown them a little for added flavor.
Don't overcook them, they'll go mushy.
Then put them to one side.
The same goes for the meat, let the fat burn. Here.
Put it in the water.
You need a bit of fat to make the vegetables shiny.
The dishes must look beautiful.
For us peasants, beautiful or not, it ends up in our bellies.
But our masters aren't like us. When the meat is done,
add the vegetables.
Then put half on each plate.
One for downstairs, and one for the grandmother.
Don't forget to keep some for us.
She's finished praying.
Time to serve. Put the vegetables
in the boiling water.
Is she the mistress's mother?
The master's. Wash your hands.
She lost her husband just after the master was born.
Now she stays upstairs and spends all her time praying.
Hurry up, put the rice in a big bowl.
- Is everything ready? - Yes...
M ui, take the grandmother's tray.
It's all right, I'll do it.
Take this one, then.
Dad... Khuyen and I will eat outside.
After the meal, take your nap as usual.
We'll be back for tea. Is that all right?
Yes, fine.
Can I have tea with you too?
No, you're not old enough.
M ui, go fetch a bit more soup in the kitchen.
Mother doesn't want to eat alone,
she wants you to keep her company.
- All right. - I'll come too.
Take that upstairs.
Eat quickly. You mustn't be late for school.
I don't have school, Grandmother. It's the summer holidays.
Ah, yes, so it is.
Khuyen and I are going out.
We'll be back for tea. I already told Dad.
Okay. I'll send Mui to buy cakes.
- Good-bye. - Good-bye, Khuyen.
M ui, you can go and eat.
- Lam, eat, my child. - Bon appétit, Mommy.
Your bowl is there. Take some meat.
There's no more soup, it's really annoying.
When everyone eats in a different place,
the dishes get scattered and we get nothing.
When you've finished, do the washing-up.
Who was that with Mr. Trung?
M r. Khuyen, M r. Trung's friend.
Eat.
Tin!
Thank you, good-bye.
Good-bye, thank you very much.
Wash your hands, then go buy some cakes.
Yes, madam.
If you like, after the holidays,
you can go to visit your mother.
Thank you, madam.
Mui! H urry up, it's time to light the fire.
Little one! Please...
What's your name?
M ui.
So your name's M ui, is it? I'm Thuan.
It's time for the grandmother's prayers.
Is she all right?
Yes, she's fine.
That's excellent.
Excellent.
Thank you, little M ui.
- Good-bye. - Good-bye, M r. Thuan.
- Where are you going? - Out for a walk.
Good idea. It isn't easy sleeping in this heat.
Be careful, it's almost curfew.
It's so hot!
My God, it's so hot!
Leave your things for tonight, put them away tomorrow.
You've worked enough for today.
Rest.
Tell me about your family.
Do you have brothers or sisters?
My father died three years ago.
My mother stayed in the village with my little sister.
When will you see your mother?
The mistress said after the holidays
I could go back.
Ah, that's good. The mistress is kind.
Who used to sleep here?
A servant, like you and me.
She went home to get married.
Is the man in the photo the grandmother's husband?
He died at a very young age.
And who's the little girl?
It's a sad story.
She was the master's daughter.
Her name was Tho.
She died seven years ago.
If she were still alive, she'd be about your age.
How did she die?
From an illness, but the master blames himself.
How come?
About seven years ago,
the master left home with all the family's savings.
It was the third time I'd seen him abandon his home and family.
Once he'd spent all the money on women,
he would come home.
But this time he went away for longer than usual.
When he came home the other times,
didn't the mistress say anything?
Nothing, not even a word.
She was so happy she cried.
And what happened to Tho?
There's the curfew.
J ust when it was getting cool.
The master must be home by now.
Three weeks after the master left,
Tho fell ill.
The day before her father returned,
she died.
The master must have thought she died
in order to pay for his sins.
That's why he never goes out now.
Right, let's get some sleep.
We have to get up early tomorrow.
M ui, it's time to get up.
You're lucky.
At your age, you still have good dreams.
- What did you dream about? - I don't know.
Have you forgotten?
I'd love to dream, but I haven't dreamt for years.
Come on, let's go and wash.
Some mornings I wake up
with the image of an old woman in my head.
I don't know if it's a dream.
I don't know if the old woman is my mother
or if it's me.
Who's up at such an early hour?
Mistress, you're up early!
- Do we have any rice? - Only enough for five days.
Here's the market money. Do the best you can.
M ui, see these earrings?
This means the master's left with the family money again.
We brush our teeth, teeth, teeth.
Wash our hands and feet, feet, feet.
Then we comb our hair, hair, hair.
And remember to poo, poo, poo.
No, I don't like that either.
I'm so sorry.
- Never mind, thank you. - Good-bye.
What happened to you?
I had a fight.
With whom?
The other children.
Did they hurt you?
Is Daddy back?
No, not yet.
Ask M ui to give you some clean clothes.
When there isn't much food, make it salty.
That way they'll eat more rice with the dishes.
Give me the bowl.
It's for the boiled vegetables.
Take this upstairs.
Mommy told us to start.
Yuck! It's too salty.
Look.
Eat!
Is it good?
M ui, come here. I've something to ask you.
Thank you, M r. Thuan.
Is Grandmother well?
There's hardly any rice left.
We didn't sell any cloth today.
J ust a few shirt buttons.
What can we buy with the money from a few buttons?
It's your fault.
If you'd shown him love, he wouldn't have taken mistresses.
I knew right from the start.
I knew my son would be unhappy with you.
You don't know how to make your husband happy.
Okay, that's enough.
What do I do with the rest of the papaya?
Throw it away.
Stop that!
Take this.
That's fine. You can go eat.
Bon appétit, Mommy.
Mommy, when will Daddy be home?
I don't know. Now eat.
Why are you crying like that?
Where's Daddy? Why doesn't he come home?
Shut up!
- Thank you. - Good-bye.
Good-bye, thank you.
Now we've got money for rice.
Go buy 25 kilos of rice.
Mui, quick, the meat needs cutting.
There, put it there.
It's very good rice.
- We have a guest tonight. - Who?
M r. Khuyen.
Who's M r. Khuyen?
Why, M r. Trung's friend!
Can I do the sautéed vegetables by myself?
Yes, if you like.
Even three years after her husband died,
she still didn't want me.
I realized that she still loved him
and didn't want to become my wife.
Since then, whenever I've been able,
I've watched her from afar.
She's moved house several times. I've always followed her.
That's how you and I were able to meet.
Since Tho, her granddaughter, died,
Grandmother hasn't been downstairs.
I haven't seen her for seven years.
Couldn't you get her to come down into the courtyard,
so I can see her?
Why don't you go up to see her?
You could hide and see her, without her seeing you.
No, it's impossible.
It'd be terrible if she saw me.
It's impossible.
Go on, go up.
It doesn't matter.
Oh, my God!
You don't know how fond the mistress is of her vases.
They're very old.
Even with all my savings, I couldn't afford them.
You're lucky.
Quick, madam, come quickly!
It's a very valuable piece, but only with its twin.
It's up to you.
All right, I accept.
Trung, quick!
10 YEARS LATER
Mui!
Hurry up, my mother wants a word.
Business has been bad for a while.
If things don't change, we'll have real problems.
We don't use the inner courtyard.
I was wondering about rearing animals in it to supplement our income.
Yes. We'll see.
I n that case, I'll get some advice tomorrow.
Mother's going to speak to M ui.
I'm sure she won't be unhappy at your friend Khuyen's.
He lives alone and composes music.
He's hardly ever home.
His parents are rich, she'll be better paid there.
These are things I would have given to Tho if she had lived.
For ten years, thanks to you, I've felt that I have a daughter.
Without knowing it, you've really comforted me.
Lam has gone.
He needs a quiet place to write his books.
And now you're leaving.
For years I hoped Lam would take you for his wife.
M ui, my little girl!
Don't eat, take me out to dinner.
Have you made any progress?
Play me what you've composed.
That smells good.
Well?
- Your new servant? - All right.
What does "all right" mean?
That she works hard.
That wasn't what I was asking, but it doesn't matter.
- Where's the vase I gave you? - It's broken.
Broken? She broke it, you mean.
If I said it was deliberate, what would you reply?
I wonder how many women in Vietnam
have never touched their fiancé's head.
My mother told me little girls used to be taught
that a well-bred woman shouldn't.
She also said it's nearly two weeks
since you last visited us.
Your father is surprised too.
"I n my garden"
"there is a papaya tree."
"The papayas grow in bunches."
"Ripe papayas are a pale yellow."
"They are..."
"They are fragrant"
"and they taste very sweet."
"For the past two years"
"we have had a black dog."
"He has a very long body."
"He has long legs"
"and big ears."
I'll start, all right?
"The spring water, filling a hole in the rock,"
"trembles gently."
"The vibration of the ground gave rise to powerful waves"
"that spread across the surface in an irregular pattern,"
"without breaking."
"If there's a verb meaning to stir harmoniously,"
"it should be used here."
"Plunged into darkness, the cherry trees"
"unfurl and sway and bend"
"to the rhythm of the water."
"But what's interesting is that, however they change,"
"they still resemble cherry trees."
Subtitles - Susannah Rooke for TELETOTA