A Time Far Past

Meticulous film version of Le Lu's 1986 Vietnamese bestselling novel set in the 1950s in the north. Sai is married to 18-year-old Tuyet at the age of 12. Tuyet tries to make the best of things, but Sai is clearly not yet ripe for marriage. He is much more enthusiastic about the Young Pioneers, the youth organisation of the Communists who are gaining power in his village. Sai‘s life then runs parallel to historic developments that are largely shaped by the war. This film is the last part of the director's trilogy. Earlier films were set in the south (KARMA) and central (GONE, GONE, FOREVER GONE) regions of his country.