Two, three Formica voices to welcome you to our Family Spirit series where we observe how the family story and sometimes the cultures of origin are transmitted from grandparents to grandchildren. Two Franco-Vietnamese one-on-ones, where the scent of the lotus insinuates itself in different ways from one family to another.
Act I, we are in Antony, south of Paris, in a colorful house that smells of family and books. And for good reason, this house belongs to Thuan, French writer and translator, born in Vietnam in 1967. The long wooden table – used to hosting vermicelli soups, nuoc man and bean sprouts – awaits us. The parents of Thuan are seated side by side, very wisely. Dan, the son and grandson not far away, a bit at attention, very intimidated, he knows he’s going to have to question grandpa and grandma. I notice the mischievous beret of the grandfather, he has the falsely sleepy eye, of the one who has seen it. Grandma, she still wears the presence of the former teacher. Conversation on a Chinese New Year’s Day, when only the memories will be lit….
The music from the show
Thien thai
Tin lua dean trang Mambo bolero
John Coltrane Spirituals