Miền ký ức
MEMORYLAND
2021, 99 minutes, Vietnam/Germany, 1.85:1, Color, 5.1 Surround Sound, in Vietnamese with English subtitles
World Sales / Festivals Booking: Diversion
Synopsis:
The 3 stories of Send-off – Nether-World –
This-World take place in 3 different strips of time,
space & locations, closely connected by death.
Send-off tells the story of Moc Mien’s husband, who
was killed in a construction site’s – a deadly accident and
later incinerated at Cremation Chamber No.4. An old woman
named Me took her last breath in the illusion of being
farewelled by her kin. Tho, an old man living in the same
village, dug a grave for her so that she could rest on her
homeland. However, her son decided to escort her coffin to
the Cremation Chamber No.4.
Nether-World tells the story of Tuong – Me’s former
husband – who is required to visit the land of the dead and
retrieve his identification papers kept by his wife. Moc
Mien has to bring her husband’s ashes back to the graves of
the ancestors and since then became caretaker of
incense-burning rituals. She struggles against the boredom
of being a lonely widow in a desolate village filled with
ghosts.
This-World tells the story of Tho and Thi, an old
couple who don’t want to have their bodies cremated after
death. They secretly hire Son – director of an all-in-one
package funeral service company – to arrange their funeral
ceremonies. Meanwhile, Moc Mien has just left her home for
the city where she meets Tuong and then lives with him.
After that, his sudden disappearance sends her into the
depth of despair. She commits suicide in their shared house.
At the end of the film, Tuong comes back home, eats Moc
Mien’s ashes and then dies. His dead body is incinerated at
Cremation Chamber No.4.
With Supports from:
- Asian Cinema Fund (South Korea)
- Purin Pictures (Thailand)
- Berlinale Talents (Germany)
About the Director:
Kim Quy Bui graduated with a BA in Screenwriting at Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema in 2006. Her screenwriting credits for full-length films include RH108, LOVE PUZZLE, DREAM STATE, PIGGYBACK and STRANGERS. In 2013, she wrote and directed her debut feature film THE INSEMINATOR, which received Best Cinematography Award at Asean international Film Festival in 2014 and screened in competition at Busan International Film Festival along with Kolkata, New Horizons and Taipei festivals. Her latest feature MEMORYLAND was supported by Asian Cinema Fund, Purin Pictures and Berlinale Talents. The film had its world premiere in competition at Busan.
