Nguyễn Nam Linh

In the depths of the underground coal mines, where danger awaits and darkness prevails, Nam and Việt, both young miners, cherish fleeting moments, knowing that one of them will soon leave for a new life across the sea.

Tam, a diligent wedding venue staffer, discovers her husband’s affair on live TV. Rather than confronting him, she enlists a powerful spell master to win back his love. Tam’s daughter, Ha, pours her frustration into vivid fantasies of a brighter future abroad. Meanwhile, a mysterious House Spirit, visible only to the women, lurks beneath their cracked, leaky ceiling.

In contemporary Hanoi, haunted by the echoes of an unfinished love between a Vietnamese worker who left for East Germany in the 1980s and the woman who stayed behind, what remains after the collapse of an ideology lingers in faltering bodies, muted gestures, and misty corners. Echoes of the past ripple through a drifting generation: an inherited fatigue, a quiet unrest, a looping refrain, a trembling future. Kieu Anh Phuong Nguyen’s film is a slightly melancholic and deeply atmospheric story told in elliptical black-and-white images.

After her father's passing, a daughter returns to Vietnam to be with her mom. Their pilgrimage to Heaven Gate reflects their struggle to connect since his loss. The mother seeks reunion with her late husband, ascending mountains for solace. The daughter, grappling with vulnerability, joins, exploring her own abyss. Together, they search for healing and understanding amidst the sublime of nature.