We filmed the sequence where Ly An is imprisoned and tried at Chua Dau, one of the oldest pagodas in Vietnam. I was reluctant to film these scenes at a Buddhist temple because it didn't seem appropriate for a scandalous pregnancy and a mob trial to take place where people seek peace and enlightenment.

But I discovered a fascinating detail in the history of the pagoda. Its most famous myth was this: A young nun was taking a midday nap at the threshold of the pagoda, where the breeze was cool. A monk, perhaps unwilling to wake her, stepped over her body as he passed through the doorway. The nun conceived and later gave birth to a son who was a model of Buddhist compassion.

The story is both sacred and sensual. And, of course, it upholds the Buddhist philosophy of cause and effect. The birth can be explained, even if it is as dreamlike as the breeze. The inscription is like a spring that returns us to the state of innocence.