Top Cast
-
Kylie Le
-
Ly Pham
-
Van Pham
-
Dam Nguyen
-
Eve Sévigny
-
Fred Nguyen Khan
-
An Nguyen
Overview
Bringing the same insight and precision to her debut dramatic work as she did with her award-winning documentaries, Toronto’s Carol Nguyen immerses viewers in the intricate matrix that connects three generations of an immigrant family.
Rating
1 Reviews
-
CinemaSerf6 Jun 12, 2026I found this short feature more intriguing for what it doesn't say than for what it does. There are three generations of a family living together. The youngest is content to mischieviously collect ants with her cousin and store them in a jar whilst her aunt and her mother share the child-minding responsibilities as well as caring for their ailing mother who is confined to an hospital bed in their living room. Resting under what looked like an uncomfortably bright light, she requires constant care and does not look long for the world. Her daughters do their best as they juggle their own responsibilities with more mundane activities like having a shower, and the children quietly observe whilst frequently raiding the candy jar. It's through the youngest's eyes that we watch much of this rotutine, and it's from her perspective that we also explore an house bedecked in memorabilia and photographs from days gone by but that don't really resonate with her. There is a certain synergy between the ants she keeps in her jar and the old lady in the bed. Both are trapped, neither are free to live their lives, and by the conclusion of this brief and inconclusive exposure into their day, I wondered whether it was any less cruel to drip feed the granny water from a spoon than it was to detain the ants in the jar. Director Carol Nguyen addresses issues of humanity in an interestingly oblique fashion and it's gentle pacing and comfortably domestic setting provide us with a little food for thought.
Recommendations
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
The Nest
West Philadelphia basketball star Sergio Taylor deals with the pressures of fame while his brother and sister have their own issues with ambition.
Brotherly Love
When lapsed Jew and former cardiologist Harry suddenly decides to spend his retirement as a pig farmer in Nazareth, Israel, the move deeply shocks his family and his new neighbours. Back in New York, Harry’s ex-wife Monica is trying to manage the lives of their adult children, Annabelle and David, as well as her own.
Holy Lands
Based on the writer/director's childhood, FARMING tells the story of a young Nigerian boy, 'farmed out' by his parents to a white British family in the hope of a better future. Instead, he becomes the feared leader of a white skinhead gang.
Farming
Drama telling the story of Blue, a young man of Jamaican descent living in Brixton in 1980, as he hangs out with his friends, fronts a dub sound system, loses his job, struggles with family problems and has his friendships tested by racism.
Babylon
In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.
What Maisie Knew
A poor, struggling South Carolinian mother and daughter face painful choices with their resolve and pride. Bone, the eldest daughter, and Anney her tired mother, grow both closer and farther apart: Anney sees Glen as her last chance.
Bastard Out of Carolina
Based on the true story of a black girl who was born to two white Afrikaner parents in South Africa during the apartheid era.
Skin
Four siblings' lives change drastically when their ailing mother takes a turn for the worse over the holiday season.
Goodbye June
Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.