MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for The Story of Pao

The Story of Pao

2006 · 98 min

A quiet, heartfelt journey through mountain landscapes, carrying sadness and tenderness as a young woman searches for where she belongs.

Directed by
Ngo Quang Hai
Genres
Drama
Starring
Đỗ Thị Hải Yến, Thanh Kha Ly, Như Quỳnh
Overview
Set in a breath-taking primitive landscape in the mountainous provinces of Vietnam, the film tells the story of a Hmong tribe girl named Pao. She was raised by her stepmother, for her real mother left her when she was little. One day, her stepmother dies in an accident, and she begins to track down her birth mother. But her journey turns out to disclose an unsealed sentimental drama of the family in the past.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Ngo Quang Hai
Genres
Drama
Starring
Đỗ Thị Hải Yến, Thanh Kha Ly, Như Quỳnh
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • family
  • identity
  • grief
  • isolation
  • memory
Places
  • countryside
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language none
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror1
Humour1
Realism7
Romance2
Tension3
Darkness4
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like The Story of Pao

Movie

Quiet Night

1984

A slow, sombre wartime-era drama that asks patience and rewards it with quiet emotional weight.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
78 min
Details
Quiet NightHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

2023

A slow, contemplative journey through grief and memory, with long takes and quiet moments that linger.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and grief

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
179 min
Details
Inside the Yellow Cocoon ShellHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Vertical Ray of the Sun

2000

A slow, sensory immersion into family life, full of quiet beauty and unspoken tensions that linger like humid air.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
112 min
Details
The Vertical Ray of the SunHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Black Cactus

1992

A quiet, heartfelt drama that lingers on faces and landscapes, asking patience while it slowly earns its emotional weight.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
87 min
Details
Black CactusHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Madam Phung's Last Journey

2014

A warm, wandering road documentary that lets you ride along with a scrappy troupe and quietly feel the sting of the crowds they meet.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
87 min
Details
Madam Phung's Last JourneyHidden from your suggestions.
Short film

Nostalgia

2021

A quiet, tender study of loss and stubborn memory, unfolding slowly in small, everyday moments.

Slow-burn · about family and grief

Via
  • family
  • grief
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
16 min
Details
NostalgiaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Dear You

2026

A tender, slow-burning family drama that unfolds through letters and memories, balancing heartbreak with warmth and quiet hope.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and isolation

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • isolation
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
118 min
Details
Dear YouHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Dois Bois

2022

A quiet, contemplative return home, heavy with grief and slow reconciliation, unfolding gently against a vast wetland landscape.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Details
Dois BoisHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

RESTART

2023

A slow, serious collection of stories that asks patience and rewards it with quiet, human moments.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
156 min
Details
RESTARTHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Hải Nguyệt

1998

A quiet, tender portrait of staying behind, steeped in family duty and the ache of leaving, unfolding at a gentle pace.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
90 min
Details
Hải NguyệtHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Still Life

2006

A quiet, haunting immersion into lives uprooted by change, where long takes and sparse dialogue invite contemplation of loss and resilience.

Melancholic, earnest, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
108 min
Details
Still LifeHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Bi, Don't Be Afraid

2011

A quiet, humid drift through a crowded house, watching desire and distance simmer beneath everyday routines.

Melancholic, slow-burn · about family and identity

Via
  • melancholic
  • family
  • identity
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
90 min
Details
Bi, Don't Be AfraidHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Ngo Quang Hai
Written by
Ngo Quang Hai
Starring
Đỗ Thị Hải Yến, Thanh Kha Ly, Như Quỳnh, Hoa Thúy, Ngô Thế Quân
Runtime
98 min
Country
Vietnam
Languages
Vietnamese

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata