Buffalo Boy

Set in Southern Vietnam in the 1940's, Buffalo Boy is an elegant film that highlights the struggles of living in always flooded, rural Vietnam. Kim, a teenage boy, lives with his impoverished parents, but is religious, extremely kind and well-meaning. His life is changed forever one flood season when he is forced to learn the buffalo herding profession to protect his families' well being. Soon thereafter, the poverty his family lives in becomes too much to handle and his parents move away. Kim is then left to fend for himself and choose his livelihood. Throughout this film we watch Kim grow and assume many characteristics of the corrupt people he's working with, such as treating women more poorly. We see this theme of the internal struggle between his new way of life and his old morals throughout the story. Distributed by Global Lens Initiative and directed by Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh, this artistic display of Vietnam poverty is perfect for anyone interested in the history of Southeast Asia or someone who just wants to know more about the area. Although the story can be slow developing, the lessons it teaches about Vietnamese culture at this time are valuable and the graceful nature of the film is undeniable. The film was also Vietnam's entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 78th Academy Awards.