Water in the Artistic Representation of the Landscape of Southwestern Vietnam: The Case of The Abandoned Field, The Buffalo Boy, and The Floating Lives

Abstract

ABSTRACT The interlaced terrain of rivers, canals and living and working habits associated with the water environment have formed the river culture of the people of the Southwest region of Vietnam. In creating their scenic narratives, many cinematic works use the element of water as an artistic code to reflect lives and convey human messages. This article examines from the perspective of landscape criticism three films set at different periods of Vietnam’s recent history—Cánh đồng hoang (The Abandoned Field, directed by Hong Sen, 1979), Mùa len trâu (The Buffalo Boy, directed by Nguyen Vo Nghiem Minh, 2004) and Cánh đồng bất tận (The Floating Lives, directed by Nguyen Phan Quang Binh, 2010). These three case studies enable an analysis of the water element in the artistic representation of the landscape of Southwestern Vietnam to see the role of this element in art, and its influence on cinematic language, not only in the natural context but also in terms of culture and history. Pointing out both the similarities and distinctiveness of each film shows how they each exploits the same landscape element to establish the artistic value of cinema.