Critique of Kim Quy Bui’s ‘Memory Land’: death and its rituals

Score: 3

Director: Kim Quy Bui

Cast: Mong Giao Vu, Thu Trang Nguyen, Van Thai Nguyen, Duc Thanh Dao

Premiere: September 1, 2023

A young widow brings the ashes of her construction worker husband to the ghostly town of her ancestors. A man visits the underworld to retrieve identity papers kept by his late wife. An elderly couple, unwilling to go to the crematorium, is tasked with organizing their own funeral while they are still alive. Second feature film who quy bui Use this set of interconnected stories to discover Different attitudes towards death in Vietnam. Divided into three parts inspired by the director’s experiences with his father’s death, the film uses the country’s funeral rites as a narrative tool to plunge into a rapidly urbanizing world where traditions and customs have disappeared.

‘Memoryland’ is a leaked movie supernatural and allegoricalHe is more concerned with creating atmosphere than narrative clarity, and his proclivity for symbolism makes it completely incomprehensible at times. His greatest feature lies in his ability to use images of often desolate environments, empty towns, ruined buildings, construction sites, and contrast to capture a world divided between empty spaces in the countryside and the bustling activity of the city. the need to cope with pain and trauma dynamics imposed by technological and financial realities.