It is a bleak utopia that creates the backdrop of the Vietnamese eco-thriller 2030 (Nuoc) which opened the Panorama section at the Berlinale earlier this month.
Nguyễn Võ Nghiêm Mình’s film sees the country almost completely swallowed by the ocean as a result of catastrophic global warming. In a Vietnam below sea level, full of stilted houses and boat colonies inhabited by people struggling to survive on the ever-diminishing fish population, a love triangle and murder mystery enfolds.
This is the second time that Saigon-born director Nguyễn Võ Nghiêm Mình is touring international film festivals with one of his features. In 2006 his well-received Buffalo Boy won various prizes and was put forward as the Vietnamese Oscar-contender.
Despite praise for 2030 (Nuoc)’s visuals, and its strength in imaging a country devastated by the effect of climate change, reviews of the story line have not been positive. By most accounts it would seem that this is a movie to watch for what it sets out to do, rather than what it actually achieves.
Vietnamese actors Quỳnh Hoa, Hoàng Trần Minh Đức, Thạch Kim Long make up the cast of the film, which is due to be released in Vietnam on 25 February.
