Elaborately set, with some wonderful views of Saigon, this ambitious sex drama runs like a silent film with erotic inserts. Based on a vignette of her early life by writer Marguerite Duras, the slight narrative has Jane March as the 15-year-old Duras, restricted by her upbringing in France and Vietnam, being seduced by a handsome Chinaman (Tony Leung). March has presence, but not much acting ability at this stage of her career, though the cast is not helped by such lines as 'He's stolen at the opium den again', which float up like silent credit cards. Leung is well-cast, but the sex scenes are nothing special and quickly tedious, with March giving out with a few pouts too many before the end. Thank goodness for Saigon and for Jeanne Moreau's marvellous voice-over narration.

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