© SALZGEBER
VIÊT AND NAM
Director—Minh Quy Truong
Feature, VN,RP 2024—129min—18+
Vietnamese with German subtitles
COMPETITION
FILM SPONSORSHIP
Dark and tender drama about the love of two miners in Vietnam.
Deep in the coal mines of Vietnam, two young miners lie huddled together, naked and covered in soot. Viet and Nam kiss and talk of parting: hoping for a better life, Nam plans to cross the sea clandestinely. But before they can set off, one last mystery must be solved — the body of Nam‘s father, who disappeared as a soldier, is still missing. As they search for his remains, the two lovers traverse a land weighed down by the past, which drags people into the abyss with it.
Director Truong Minh Quy tells this love story through gloomy images. Groaning under the weight of history and immersed in an atmosphere of unresolved trauma, the plot unfolds with the tenacious relentlessness of a nightmare. Banned in Vietnam due to its pessimistic portrayal of the country, the film celebrated its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
© SALZGEBER