The Dust of Modern Life

Liêm is a member of the Sedang, an ethnic minority group in Vietnam. Following tradition, he and other men go into the jungle for a spiritual cleansing, subsisting only on what the forest offers them. In the past, when he made the trip with his father, they fed on wild animals, such as monkeys, wild cats, or deer. Nowadays, deforestation has driven these animals away, and so Liêm is forced to catch rats and frogs, which the group (and film crew) consume. "The Vietnamese jungle is changing, and with it the ancient traditions of an ethnic minority living there. A debut about the overwhelming demands of everyday life and the universal desire to break free." (Kino Zeit)

Keywords

  • déjà-vu FILM
  • Forests/Deserts
  • Spirituality
  • Storyline: Global Village
  • Topic: No Planet B
  • ecology
  • globalization
  • natural

Director

  • Franziska Von Stenglin

Documentary, Independent


1h 21min


12

VI


PT

FR

NL

DE

IT

ES

EN

SV

Germany
2021
To honor the archaic lifestyles of his ancestors and to preserve tradition, Liêm spends several days each year in the Vietnamese jungle.

To honor the archaic lifestyles of his ancestors and to preserve tradition, Liêm spends several days each year in the Vietnamese jungle.


Liêm is a member of the Sedang, an ethnic minority group in Vietnam. Following tradition, he and other men go into the jungle for a spiritual cleansing, subsisting only on what the forest offers them.


In the past, when he made the trip with his father, they fed on wild animals, such as monkeys, wild cats, or deer. Nowadays, deforestation has driven these animals away, and so Liêm is forced to catch rats and frogs, which the group (and film crew) consume.


"The Vietnamese jungle is changing, and with it the ancient traditions of an ethnic minority living there. A debut about the overwhelming demands of everyday life and the universal desire to break free." (Kino Zeit)

Festivals

Cast & Crew