Memoryland

The film crosses several stories. A woman has a son who does not want to comply with her wishes for her burial after her death. A widow of a young mason who will take the ashes of the deceased to the town of her ancestors. A painter who will lose a love that she has known late in life. The connections between the fates of the characters, whose stories happen accidentally, will become clear only over time. The center of MEMORYLAND's interlinked and episodic stories reside in death and all the rituals that accompany us at the end of life. All these rituals that are carried out are meant to bring peace to both the living and the dead. With skillfully composed images like a bowl of rice full of ants, rotten fruit, an empty hammock; They also tell us about pain and mortality, but the film will not shy away from other mundane moments, such as when having to face the costs of a traditional burial.

In 'Memoryland' two types of life are juxtaposed, rural and urban. On the one hand Hanoi, with its construction sites and its large number of cars; on the other side, an almost abandoned and decadent town. In this way, the different ways of dealing with grief will be seen.

Directed and written by Kim Quy Bui, 'Memoryland' is starred by Mong Giao Vu, Thu Trang Nguyen and Van Thai Nguyen.