Pao's Story

Running time: 98 mins

A multi-generational story packed with painful family secrets, Pao?s Story examines the intricate nature of personal identity, and how it's sometimes better not to question one?s own history.

Pao is a soft-spoken Vietnamese peasant on the verge of adulthood. When her mother is abruptly swept away by a violent river, Pao?s life is drastically altered. The catastrophic accident devastates Pao?s family, and as the story shifts back twenty years to a time before Pao was born, it becomes evident that her family?s past is not as it seems.

Based on true events and told through the eyes of the serenely beautiful Pao (Do Thi Hai Yen, star of The Quiet American), we learn that Pao?s biological mother is not the drowned woman, but a local shoe seller. In an attempt to restore a sense of order to her family, Pao embarks on a journey in search of her mother, unearthing a world of secrets, deception, and double lives.

Winner of two Golden Kite Awards for film and actress (the Vietnamese equivalent of an Oscar), Ngo Quang Hai's haunting debut features the beauty and lush scenery of Vietnam in a heartfelt and captivating story that leaves a lasting impact.


Anh Nguyen

This film has been presented by Jaman

MAVERICK COMPETITION