The life of a family is made bitter by the wounds of the past. To be liberated from the destructive cycle of revenge and suffering, one has to learn to forgive.
SYNOPSIS he film portrays the life of a family separated from the mainstream of modern society, yet containing within its microcosm the complex layers and dramas of human relationships: conjugal life, sexual trauma, and the failures and bonds of fatherhood, brother and sisterhood. It is about a unique social stratum in a remote place in Vietnam with unspoken traditions, customs and lifestyles. But most of all, it is the universal story of a family that like all other families has to find strength and direction in each other to navigate their way through the choices and consequences that make up human existence.
Based on Nguyen Thi Ngoc Tu’s best selling short story “The Boundless Rice Field”, winner of the best short story prize from the Vietnam Writer’s Association in 2007 and the ASEAN Literature Award recently, Floating lives will draw audiences into the colourful daily life of unsophisticated peasants scratching out a living in the beautiful but unforgiving landscape of the immense, mysterious and prescient Mekong Delta, characters whose strength, flaws and beauty, as they search for the sustenance of life and love, tear at one’s heart. Set in the exquisitely beautiful Mekong Delta of Vietnam, the film tells a story of Mr. Vu and his children: his daughter Nuong and his son Dien. Vu, a man wounded by his wife’s infidelity, has burned down his house and all his memories of the past. He has restarted his life with his two children, living on a boat in a nomadic existence among the labyrinth canals of the Mekong. He is an exile not because of the war- now only a distant memory in Vietnam- but from the modern life and materialism that he sees as the reason for his wife giving into the temptations of self-indulgence.
DO THI HAI YEN Hai Yen was born in 1982 and is one of the most famous and versatile actresses of her generation. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Drama at Golden Satellite Award (2002) for her role in The Quiet American directed by Philip Noyce. She has received numerous honours
Twisted and made bitter by her betrayal, but still an attractive man, Vu takes his revenge through his abuse of the women he who fall in love with him, and, increasingly, against his own daughter who, growing up, looks more and more like her mother. Vu is now a man who can no longer believe in love, an attitude that has affected his son and daughter, who are becoming emotionally twisted, inheriting their father’s hatred, distrust and coldness. It is only when the children rescue Suong, a prostitute, from being beaten by a mob of outraged women and, in spite of their father, take her into their life and form a surrogate family around her, that Suong’s physical and spiritual healing allow the children--and perhaps their father--to achieve their own healing, their own reconciliation with love.
Hai Yen was born in 1982 and is one of the most famous and versatile actresses of her generation. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Drama at Golden Satellite Award (2002) for her role in The Quiet American directed by Philip Noyce. She has received numerous honours and awards for her memorable role in Pao’s Story (2005) includ-
MAIN CAST DUSTIN NGUYEN Dustin Nguyen is one of the most successful Vietnamese actors in Hollywood. During his 25 years in Hollywood, he has chances to take part in many motion films such as: Little Fish (Johnny), 21 Jump Street (1987), Sea Quest DSV (1993), Heaven & Earth (1993), The Doom Generation (1995), No Escape, No Return (1993) and series such as: JAG, Fortunate Son, V.I.P, Gang, Die, Revenge of the Sword. His role in Little Fish earned him the 2007 Asian Excellence Award for Best Supporting Actor. He played the leading role in The Rebel and The Legend Is Alive, winning the Best Actor award at the 2009 Golden Kite Awards and Favorite International Actor award at the Golden Rooster for his role in the latter.
Dustin Nguyen plays the role of Vu, the wretched father.
DO THI HAI YEN Hai Yen is one of the most famous and versatile actresses of her generation. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role- Drama at Golden Satellite Award (2002) for her role in The Quiet American directed by Philip Noyce. She has received numerous honours and awards for her memorable role in Pao’s Story (2005) including the Golden Kite and Golden Lotus Award for Best Actress at Vietnam Film Festivals.
She also starred in Adrift directed by Bui Thac Chuyen (2009), Song of the Stock directed by Jonathan Foo and Quang Binh (2002) and The Vertical Ray of the Sun directed by Tran Anh Hung (1999).She was the member of the International Jury for the Featured Film Competition “EurAsia” in 10th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2006 and Meridian Film Festival 2007. Hai Yen plays the role of Suong- the pitiful prostitute
TANG THANH HA Tang Thanh Ha is the most popular actress in the country due her participation on television. She won 02 awards - the Audience Most Favourite Actress on HTV Award in 2006 with her role in. Huong Phu Sa and - the Audience Most Favourite Actress on VTV Audience Award with Suddenly I wanna cry in 2009. Those are the two biggest Awards for TV in Vietnam. This is her second time appearance on Cinema and she plays the role of the betrayed wife.
VO THANH HOA Hoa graduated from Lasalle College of Arts in Singapore. He is currently a first year student at the famous Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema in Movie Directing. Since the age of 11, Hoa began his acting career as a child actor in TV dramas such as Con ga trong, Bong dua can and Thoi vi tinh. He also appeared in Mien dat phuc and Dong song huynh de as a youth actor recently. Floating Lives is his first movie. Hoa plays the role of Dien, the son.
NINH DUONG LAN NGOC Ninh Duong Lan Ngoc was born in 1990 in Ho Chi Minh city. Ngoc is currently a 2nd year student at Ho Chi Minh Academy of Theatre and Cinema in Acting. Floating Lives is her first movie. She brings her innocence and inner strength to the character of Nuong.
NGUYEN PHAN QUANG BINH Director
Quang Binh started directing career in 1996. He initially spent 15 years studying the fine art of painting at the Hanoi Fine Arts College. His first feature film: Song of the Stork (co-directed with Jonathan Foo) received the Best Feature Film award from Milano Film Festival, Italy in 2002 and was invited to participate in many other film Festivals around the world, including the Paris Film Festival, Taormina Film Fest, Montreal Film Festival, Quebec Film Festival, Bangkok Film Festival and Singapore Film Festival. His work on television has brought innovative ways of producing reality shows and TV dramas to Vietnam. During the last 15 years he has been directing hundreds episodes of documentary, reality and Drama series, including highest rating shows as well as best TV show of the year for local TV station as well as National Geographic US. Quang Binh is also the Executive Producer of The White Silk Dress, winner of the audience award at the Pusan film festival in 2007, Every Inch Of Beauty and The Bright Kisses, which are among the top five highest-grossing local movies in Vietnam of all time. Floating lives is his second movie.
NGUYEN TRANH Director of Photography Nguyen Tranh is one of the most famous Director of Photography in Vietnam. To date, Nguyen Tranh has been the Director of Photography and Executive Director for many films, drama series and reality shows. His production credits include The White Silk Dress, Golden Kite Award 2006 for cinematography, Truong Ba’s Soul in the Butcher’s body and Every Inch of Beauty. He also did lot of drama series including Tropical Snow, The Ugly Betty – Vietnamese version and Suddenly, I Wanna Cry ...lots of reality show including MTV school attack and he is the best Director for Music Video clips in Vietnam.
LY THAI DZUNG First AD A famous cameraman in the cinema industry, Thai Dzung is also a lecturer at Vietnam National Cinematography University. He has participated in shooting many Vietnamese films and TV programs, which are well known both locally and internationally. He was the director of photography in several of the most highly regarded films and TV series in Vietnam: My Father and Two Women; “Relieve” and “Those Who Live Around Me”- which received Silver Lotus Prize in 1996- given by Vietnam Cinema Department; “10 Girls at Dong Loc Turning Point”- which was awarded the Golden Lotus Prize in 1998, and The Valley of Bleak- which received Silver Lotus Prize in 2001.
Production company: Vietnam Studio & Mega Media Director: Nguyen Phan Quang Binh Executive Producer: Ngo Thi Bich Hanh Ngo Thi Bich Hien Jonathan Foo Line Producer: Nguyen Chi Dung Director of Photography: Nguyen Tranh First AD: Ly Thai Dzung Script-writer: Nguy Ngu Editor: Nguyen Ho Music: Nguyen Quoc Trung Designer: Ma Phi Hai Genre: Drama Running Time: 100 minutes Film Format: 35mm Screen Ratio: 1.85 Sound: Dolby SRD Language: Vietnamese Subtitle: English
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