Love – present or not – makes people act in peculiar ways to those who may not understand that love. Or, it can make people forget to do the things they ought to do. These four films look at love (or one’s idea of what love is) at different stages: its beginnings, the point of betrayal, and in death and separation.

We open with budding beginnings in Nguyễn Năng Hải An’s 5011 (which helped the director earn a spot at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts). There, a Vietnamese high school boy, unsure how to act or speak around his crush, seeks advice from a friend who might not be of much help. Empty (Trống), directed by Mai Hoài Nguyễn Tuấn Anh (or “Luey”) follows. Loosely adapted from Haruki Murakami’s short story “Kino”, the protagonist returns home to find his wife having an affair. He flees the scene, headed for anywhere but home – his ultimate destination will feature curious moments symbolizing unresolved feelings.

A lack of emotional resolution carries over into the closing half of this set. The animated short Water Girl (Fille d’eau), directed by Sandra Desmazières (VFF 2023’s Flowing Home), finds an elderly freedive fisher reminiscing about loved ones now far away. As a reversal of Orpheus and Eurydice, Nghiêm Quỳnh Trang’s Visiting Heaven Gate sees a daughter and mother make an ascending pilgrimage in hopes of seeing their father and husband, respectively, one last time. Together, our final two films close on the idea that love abides.

By Eric Nong