Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere
Director: Nguyen Hoang Diep
Vietnam, France, Norway, Germany | Vietnamese
2014 | 98min | Colour
Subtitles: English
Friday, Nov 6 Club House, 8:30 PM
Huyen is a teenager and her boyfriend Tung is an employee at a lighting company. Huyen’s neighbor, Linh, is a transvestite who makes a living by catching unsuspecting men looking for sex in dark spots.While perched in the air to hang up advertising lights, Tung suddenly gets news that Huyen is pregnant. Both want to have an abortion, but that costs money. The fetus grows and Huyen is often hungry, saving money by eating porridge. Tung gambles on the cockfighting bouts, while Huyen hopes on a scholarship. Near the date for the abortion, Tung steals the money she has saved to pay his debts from his cockfight losses. He disappears. Linh introduces Huyen to prostitution to make money. Huyen is introduced to Hoang, a man interested in pregnant women. As time passes, Huyen realizes the pregnancy brings her a closer to Hoang. As she realizes she is in love with Hoang, she asks Hoang to make love to her. After that, he disappears.With enough money to perform an abortion, and no men to help her with raising a child, everything seems clear. Yet Huyen is transfixed by a boiling pot of porridge,the bubbles growing bigger and bigger.
Nguyen Hoang Diep
Born in 1982, Nguyen Hoang Diep is a prominent independent filmmaker in Vietnam. She is married with two sons, and has several short and documentary films to her name. In 2008 Diep founded VBLOCK Media, an independent studio focused on art films and experimental projects. In 2009 VBLOCK Media has produced Bi, don’t be afraid, feature film that won a record number of awards at international film festivals. Flapping in the Middle of Nowhere is her first feature film.
Credits
Director: Nguyen Hoang Diep
Producer: Nguyen Hoang Diep, Thierry Lenouvel, Alan R. Milligan, David Lindner
Screenwriter: Nguyen Hoang Diep
Cinematographer: Pham Quang Minh
Editor: Jaques Comets, Gustavo Vasco
Sound: Hoang Thu Thuy, Nguyen Van Chung, Hoang Anh, Nicolas D’halluin
Music: Pierre Aviat
Production Companies: VBlock Media, Ciné-Sud Promotion, Film Farms, Filmallee
Cast: Nguyen Thuy Anh, Tran Bao Son, Hoang Ga, Pham Tran Thanh Duy
Festival Appearances & Awards
Venice Film Festival, 2014 – Fedeora Critics Award
Toronto International Film Festival, 2014
Busan International Film Festival, South Korea, 2014
AFI FEST, 2014
San Francisco International Film Festival, 2015
Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 2014
International Film Festival of India, 2014
Sao Paulo International Film Festival, 2014
Göteborg International Film Festival, 2015
BFI London International Film Festival, 2015