Gone, Gone, Forever Gone

Running time: 90 mins

Gone, Gone, Forever Gone depicts a fascinating story of refined emotions within the heart of a country whose history has been a tumultuous ride for many generations. Director Ho Quang Minh and screenwriter Nguy Ngu tell a parable of the turbulent years between the 1940s to the 1980s through the eyes of a Buddhist convent and the three siblings whose lives have been divided and must now find reconciliation. The sister, a former imperial concubine turned Buddhist nun, witnesses the partition of Vietnam into north and south. She makes it her goal to reunite her family and the two brothers, each having chosen a different political path, who fought each other during the war. When the two brothers meet again after 30 years, it is the sister who must act as mediator and remind the brothers of the impermanence of worldly conflict. We have seen American-made Vietnam war films nominated for Academy Awards, but Gone, Gone, Forever Gone (Vietnam's submission for this year's Academy Awards) tells a story that our western perspective cannot possibly give. It does not embrace the "heart of darkness" and the civilized man's war with the jungle, but captures more of the spirit of civil war. It does not question the concept of who wins, but it looks to show how an individual's ability and inner strength can learn to rise above conflict and to reach what the Buddha calls Nirvana. One might say this is a "Buddhist war film." Presented with the cooperation of the Fukuoka City Public Library Film Archives section and the Fukuoka International Film Festival --Mike Rabehl