Viet and Nam

Description

Decades after the fall of Saigon, much of Vietnam remains mired in poverty and grief. So it is with Nam, who finds solace in the arms of his lover Viet, while acknowledging that their days spent toiling in a coal mine are a dead end. To have a brighter future, he must leave the country, but there is Viet to consider, as well as his mother, still dreaming of her husband who died in the war. Trương Minh Quý’s second feature carries traces of Alain Resnais and Apichatpong Weerasethakul in its DNA but ultimately reflects the director’s own voice. Poetic, sometimes erotic, and often gritty, this lyrical drama is both a love story and a measure of the devastating consequences Vietnam paid for its civil war. Sublime cinematography captures the country’s beauty but below that gorgeous surface rests a devastating darkness threatening to swallow Nam and all he holds dear. —Pam Grady

Director Trương Minh Quý

Trương Minh Quý was born in Buon Ma Thuot, a small city in Vietnam’s Central Highlands, where he still lives and works. He is an alumnus of the 2012 Asian Film Academy (Busan International Film Festival) and the 2016 Berlinale Talents. He made his feature debut with The City of Mirrors: A Fictional Biography (2016), followed by The Tree House (2019).

Film Details