This short film set – screening for free to high school students during VFF’s opening in-person hours – explores the often incomplete ways in which we view each other, featuring characters whose views towards others are challenged and reformed. 

The opener, Wedding Flowers, tracks a mother-daughter relationship as the proximity of returning home forces a reevaluation of resentment, loneliness, and love. No Barriers follows with the story of a hard-of-hearing girl who decides to learn American Sign Language as an adult after years of isolation from the hearing world. Together, these two films show a paradox of space – exemplifying how closeness can force new understanding of others, or how distance can force new understanding of the self. 

Going into the second half of the set, Happy Thoughts traces a high school speech and debate champion as he enters his final competition. However, when tragedy strikes, his drive and perspective on what is actually important changes irrevocably. The penultimate film, Sea Song, takes a twist on this idea of challenging perspectives as it follows a group of South Vietnamese Naval officers through what may be their last reunion. Through its unique lens of a scarcely-covered topic, the viewers ultimately receive the changed perspective through the veterans’ joy – nevertheless shaped out of trauma.

In conclusion, Forever is a Delicate Thing features a young boy and his grandfather faced with losing custody as the sudden change forces what may be a final goodbye.

By Tai Nguyen