Bury Us in a Lone Desert
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Polish premiere
Theatrical Screenings
Muranów
Kinoteka 4
Online Availability
Additional Materials
Film description
In an elderly man’s apartment, a burglar discovers a mysterious figure. It turns out to be the plaster-encased remains of the man’s wife, who died years ago. The failed burglary takes an unexpected turn: instead of handing the intruder over to the police, the man asks him to help fulfill his final wish — to be buried alongside his wife in a remote place. The two set off on a journey into the Vietnamese desert, where the time spent together becomes an opportunity to talk about love, loss, and the passage of time. Inspired by a true story reported in the press that once shocked Vietnam, director Nguyễn Lê Hoàng Phúc transforms it into an absurd yet tender road movie. He offers an unconventional perspective on grief and finds value in a bond that processes life and death, defying loneliness. Bury Us in a Lone Desert is also an unusual blend of contemplative slow cinema and the playful atmosphere of a spaghetti western.
The screening is accompanied by the short film Elsewhere, in which the protagonist spends one last warm afternoon with his older brother. Together, the two films offer a unique encounter with the work of Nguyễn Lê Hoàng Phúc, a distinctive independent voice in contemporary Vietnamese cinema.
text:
Lucyna Szczykutowicz
Nguyễn Lê Hoàng Phúc
Born in Saigon in 1994, a Vietnamese director, screenwriter, and editor. He studied English at Van Lang University but dropped out after his first year to pursue a career in the film industry. He began his professional career as an editor on Vietnamese independent and short films, and also worked as an assistant director on Trương Minh Quý’s Viet and Nam. His feature debut, Bury Us in a Lone Desert (20th Five Flavours), was screened in the Tiger Short Competition at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. His work often explores loneliness, loss, and the complexities of human relationships.
2020 Từ từ & Đau đớn / Slowly & Painfully (short)
2023 Bồng bềnh / Buoyant (short)
2024 Na drugim brzegu / Miên man / Elsewhere (short)
2025 Pochowaj nas na odległej pustyni / Bury Us in a Lone Desert
