Viet and Nam (, "Underground", Lit: "The Heart of the Earth"), also spelled Việt and Nam, is a 2024 romantic drama written and directed by Trương Minh Quý. Starring Thi Nga Nguyen and Daniel Viet Tung Le, the film is about two coal miners who are in love, cherishing fleeting moments before one seeks better economic opportunity abroad. Leading up to the departure, they also search for the body of one of their fathers, a fallen soldier. The film was banned in Viet Nam for allegedly giving “a gloomy, deadlocked, and negative view” of the country.
The film had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Queer Palm. It made its North American premiere at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival in the Wavelengths programme, and was selected for the 62nd New York Film Festival in the Main Slate. It was also selected for the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2024 under the World Cinema section.
Cast Thanh Hai Pham as Nam/Việt Duy Bao Dinh Dao as Nam /Việt Thi Nga Nguyen as Hoa Daniel Viet Tung Le as Ba
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 83 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Accolades Award Year Category Recipient(s) Result Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2024 Best Cinematography Son Doan Cannes Film Festival 2024 Prix Un Certain Regard Minh Quý Trương Queer Palm Filmfest München 2024 CineRebels Award QCinema International Film Festival 2024 Best Picture – Asian Next Wave Competition Việt and Nam Singapore International Film Festival 2024 Best Director Minh Quý Trương FIPRESCI Award Việt and Nam World Film Festival of Bangkok 2024 Jury Prize Minh Quý Trương
References
External links