New short film moves Vietnamese diaspora in Germany

By Hai My   February 26, 2019 | 05:19 pm PT
Blessed Land, shown at the recent Berlin International Film Festival, highlights class tensions and ruminates on life and death.
Vietnamese representatives at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival 2019.

Vietnamese representatives at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival 2019.

Vietnamese diaspora in Germany were particularly moved by a black and white short film, Blessed Land,which premiered at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival held February 8-17.

The film introduces two main character lines in distinct situations. The camera follows the journey of a mother and son to a cemetery, finding the grave of her late husband after years of being torn apart. In another context, on the same graveyard, a golf course has been built by a wealthy man and his young mistress. 

The 20-minute movie allows the audience to feel the tensions and opposition between two different social class - the rich and the poor, two seemingly distant but intrinsically close worlds set on the ‘blessed land’. 

In their storytelling, director Pham Ngoc Lan and his crew also pushes the idea of how the realization of life and death becomes an illusion. 

Lan said many Vietnamese citizens living in Berlin in particular, were moved and expressed concern and support for Vietnamese cinema. Many members of audience chose to see the film several times, he said.

After the success of Another City at multiple international film festivals, Blessed Land is Lan's second short film to be selected for the ‘Berlinale Shorts’ category at the festival, which features both domestic and international short films.

 
 
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