Viet and Nam

Viet and Nam

Young coal miners in love Viet and Nam steal moments of intimacy together while working deep underground. Nam wants to leave the country via a smuggler, placing their future together on tenuous ground. Waiting in limbo, the two accompany Nam's mother on her search through the jungle - and her dreams - for the remains of her veteran husband, the ghosts of the past guiding their way. Full of sublime visuals and rich historical resonance, this sophomore feature from Truong Minh Quy seamlessly ties a thread of longing between the ache of gay male desire and the need for closure amidst the generational trauma of the Vietnam War. Rooted in magical realism, the film's quandaries about Vietnamese history and queer belonging add up to an emotional reckoning centered around relationships with the past and to each other - a heartbreaking site of contemplation. Shot in a hypnotic style on 16mm film - and banned in its home country - Viet and Nam is a remarkable work of quiet expressivity about two men with unsettled pasts and indeterminate futures.