There is a tide in the affairs of each of the main characters in these films. In this set, the protagonist must decide whether to seize an opportunity that, by accident or deliberate posturing, they can now take advantage of. Some succeed, some fail, and, in the last film, there is a fateful reconsideration.

The bookends of this set center on familial love from returning VFF alumni. This set opens with When Everything Would Be Fine (directed by Mathieu Lam of VFF 2022’s La passion), where a French Vietnamese brother and sister must keep their family’s restaurant operating after the unexpected death of their mother. It then closes with Ripe (Chín), directed by Solara Thanh-Binh Dang (VFF 2023’s Her Name is Like a Sigh). There, a daughter – long dismissive of her father’s attempts to persuade her into an arranged marriage –  begins reconsidering after he suffers a grievous injury.

Our lineup’s body turns the screws of intensity as it progresses. 5011 depicts a Vietnamese high schooler unsure how to cope with and behave towards his crush. Talking about love’s nature with his friend only produces less clarity. And the title says it all in I Think About Killing You, when an aspiring professional rower speculates about homicide.

As they chart a course, will our characters reach their intended destination or be lost to the sea?

By Eric Nong