Flowing Home
You really flow with the visual style, it’s delicate, expressive, and unlike anything I’d seen before. I don’t even think I have the right words to do it justice. It just felt important to programme. Honest. Emotional. Reflective. Truly poetic on so many levels.
Sigh Gone
The comedic moments are sharp and perfectly timed, reminding me why Vietnamese humour hits differently. Sigh Gone manages to add so many layers to Vietnam’s cinematic landscape with a simple, well-executed story. I loved every second of it.
Stay Awake, Be Ready
it’s a beautifully shot short that stays with you. It’s one of those films where on the surface, maybe not much happens, but somehow everything is happening. You can literally feel the heat of Saigon burning through the screen. This film feels like an essential piece of work, observational, layered, full of life. The vibrant colors, the sounds, the characters, all so real and raw. No wonder it became so well-known after its release.
Good Chips
Good Chips took me completely by surprise, it’s charming, unexpected, and so full of heart. It’s about Vietnamese-Irish lives intertwining in Dublin, but more than that, it’s about finding connection where you least expect it. The cast blew me away, and in just 18 minutes, I was hooked and wishing it would never end.
Children of the Mist
In Children of the Mist, Ha Le Diem’s decision to include this raw, unflinching moment, paired with her own emotional reaction, left a lasting mark. She’s not just a detached observer, she’s as much a part of the story as Di is.
Living in Fear
Released at the tail end of Vietnam’s Đổi Mới era in 2005, this film’s exploration of post-war trauma and survival felt just as raw and relevant as if it had been made yesterday. Set in 1975, Living in Fear delves into the aftermath of the Vietnam War and its long-lasting scars. The central character, Tai, is a former soldier struggling to support his two families
The Bitter Taste of Love
At its core, The Bitter Taste of Love follows Quang, a shy, bookish medical student who falls for Phương, a passionate piano virtuoso. Their love story takes a devastating turn when Phương discovers she has a bullet fragment lodged in her brain, forcing her to choose between survival and the music that defines her.
Black Cactus
Black Cactus also presents a subtle yet powerful commentary on rural life and Vietnamese culture. The depiction of community rituals, family traditions, and simple rural life offers a refreshing counterpoint to the grittier aspects of the narrative. It provides an intimate glimpse into the everyday lives of Vietnamese people during a time of transformation, a time when the aftershocks of the war were still deeply felt.
Little Girl of Hanoi
Directed by Hải Ninh and released in 1974, this haunting black-and-white drama follows a young girl, Ngọc Hà, wandering the war-torn streets of Hanoi in search of her father after the Christmas Bombings killed her mother and sister. It sounds simple, but the emotional weight it carries is anything but.
When the Tenth Month Comes
The plot follows Duyên, a young schoolteacher and widow in the final days of the war. She returns to her village, carrying the unbearable knowledge that her husband has died in combat, a truth she chooses to hide from her young son and elderly father-in-law. What follows is not a grand drama, but a quiet, internal journey through grief, duty, and the crushing silence of loss.