Memoryland (2021)

A woman whose son does not want to carry out her burial wishes after her death. The widow of a young construction worker who brings his ashes to the village of his ancestors. A painter who loses a love only met late in life. The connections between the fates of these characters, whose stories abruptly succeed one another, only become clear over time. At the centre of the episodically linked stories in MEMORYLAND stands death and all the rituals that accompany the end of life. Such rituals are intended for the peace of both the dead and the living, but even they are not left untouched by changes in society. Skilfully composed images - a bowl of rice full of ants, an empty hammock, rotting fruit - also speak of grief and mortality, but the film also does not shy away from more mundane moments, such as when the costs of a traditional burial are broken down into specifics. Change is also made perceptible through the juxtaposition of rural and urban life: on the one hand Hanoi, with its countless construction sites and constant stream of cars; on the other the almost abandoned, run-down village. The old life still exists, but only in the land of memories.