One of the most exquisite and exquisitely sweet films I have seen in quite some time, OWL AND THE SPARROW, made its world premiere at LAFF 2007 competing for Best Narrative Film.

Born in Saigon, Vietnam but raised in Orange County, California, director Stephane Gauger "always wanted to do a film set in Saigon." As he told me, " I love the country and the people. With over 8 million people in Saigon, I knew I had to do a story about them. This is the story of three of them."

Lan is a lonely flight attendant looking for love. Every other week when she comes to Saigon on layovers, the girls who run the hotel where she stays only want to fix her up, albeit with their wannabe magician cousin who works for the City and who looks kind of "goofy." Hai, has spent his entire life at the Saigon Zoo. His father was zookeeper and Hai has followed in his footsteps. He is the quintessential horse whisperer and Dr. Doolittle all rolled into one. He is also alone having been dumped by his fiancé, but takes comfort in talking to the animals. Sadly his heart gets a bit more broken when a beloved elephant for whom Hai has tended since birth is being sold to an Indian zoo. Thuy is a precocious, spunky little 10-year old. Her parents are dead and she lives with her uncle who runs a bamboo factory outside Saigon. Forced to work for her uncle, she tires of his continual verbal abuse and one night determines to set out on her own. With no money and only the clothes on her back, Thuy is befriended by other children laboring as street vendors for their parents. She sells postcards, then flowers and thanks to the kindness of one young boy, is invited to his mother’s restaurant where she meets Lan. During the day, she is drawn to the zoo where she meets Hai and his elephant friend.

All three lonely and looking for love. All three connected by Thuy. And it doesn’t take long for Thuy to see what the future must be. But, she only has four days to make everyone’s dreams come true.

An intuitive filmmaker, it is evident that this film comes from Stephane Gauger’s heart. There is a beauty and elegance in the film’s simplicity that captures not only the beauty of the people and the country, but its abundant life force, the result of which is emotionally overwhelming. Gauger’s hand held camera work invites the audience into the street with Thuy, and then retains the sounds of Saigon in the background. The bicycle bells, horns honking, people talking, vendors hawking their wares - he doesn’t use Foley artists to add sound; he doesn’t try to censor the sounds of life. He embraces them, allowing the sound to flow with the characters.

I have had a chance to talk to Stephane several times at the Fest, and each time is more joyous than the last. What strikes me most about him is humility, a quality that permeate the film and add to its innate beauty. A skilled writer with a clear vision and a kind loving touch, Stephane Gauger’s OWL AND THE SPARROW, will fill your heart with joy.

Written and Directed by Stephane Gauger.