In Viet and Nam, a transfixing queer drama about two miners, what isn't said sounds more important than what is. It's essence lies below the surface - the exact same place where the two men have sex. Evoking lust and sensuality in a dust-filled coal mine, Minh Quý Trương's second feature is a rich exploration of what it is to fall in love in a scarred, post-war Vietnam.
It's the year 2001. Viet and Nam are two Vietnamese miners who have a hidden (read: forbidden) relationship. They have sex mostly underground, among the coal dust that colours their bodies black. Longing for a better life in Europe, Nam wants to leave the country with the help of a human trafficker. Viet tries to change his mind. But first Nam sets off for the Cambodian border with his mother in search of traces of his long-dead father. Based on a recurring dream, the mother thinks she knows where the remains of the body are. Dreams and memories play a crucial role in Viet and Nam, drawing parallels to Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's meditative oeuvre. Shot on 16mm, Minh Quý Trương's second feature is a transfixing queer drama, slowly casting its spell, until it emerges as a masterpiece.
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Credits
Trương Minh Quý
Phạm Thanh Hải, Đào Duy Bảo Định, Nguyễn Thị Nga
Trương Minh Quý
Son Doan
Félix Rehm
Bianca Balbuena, Bradley Liew
Epicmedia Productions
More info
Vietnamese
Italy, Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines, The Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France
2024
