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The Buffalo Boy

Play trailer Poster for The Buffalo Boy Released Aug 9, 2004 1h 43m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews 50% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
In 1940s southern Vietnam, the rainy season threatens to consume life as much as sustain it. With his family's survival heavily dependent on a pair of buffalo, young Kim (Le The Lu) agrees to take the animals inland from the water-logged coast in search of food. On his journey, he witnesses firsthand the brutality of man and sees how taxes by the occupying French further harm the poor. When Kim encounters a herder (Vo Hoang Nhan) in a position to help, he must decide whether he can trust him.

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The Buffalo Boy

Critics Reviews

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Bruce Newman San Jose Mercury News If you have ever wondered what the life of a Vietnamese peasant was like in the 1940s, it seems unlikely there will be a lovelier evocation of it than Buffalo Boy. Rated: 3/4 Sep 14, 2006 Full Review Manohla Dargis New York Times Ostensibly a coming-of-age story, this languorous, beautifully shot feature debut from Vietnam tells a deceptively simple tale in a deceptively simple fashion. Rated: 4/5 Mar 10, 2005 Full Review Doug Cummings Filmjourney In a lesser film, the copious floods would signal pat themes of life and renewal, but Nguyen-Vo emphasizes the water's destructive power as well. Jun 6, 2006 Full Review Louis Proyect rec.arts.movies.reviews Austere but beautiful film about the desperately poor in Vietnam during the 1940s. Apr 4, 2006 Full Review Ken Fox TV Guide This beautiful film offers a rare, poetic glimpse of life in rural Vietnam during the French occupation. Rated: 3.5/5 Mar 11, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member 3: This watery environment would be a strange world to live in on a permanent basis. I caught a glimpse of it on my recent travels in Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. So, it is both familiar and entirely foreign. Living within the marshlands like this could certainly never be easy. You would be far more susceptible to the whims of the weather than most. I can't help but wonder how close to reality this is for some in modern day Vietnam. I certainly don't doubt that this was how people lived in the past, but I wonder how many modern amenities have infiltrated a place like this today. As is the case with all the films I purchase during my travels, whether from Iraq, Korea, Beijing, Hong Kong, Thailand, Vietnam, or Cambodia, they seem somehow more meaningful and personal. Just as in Tres Estaciones, the characters here dream of a better and more secure existence, which for them means an escape from the marshlands to a patch of dry, or at least drier, land. It's an interesting and unique film. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Great Vietnamese film. Beautifully shot and a wonderful story. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Den här vietnamesiska filmen följer en fattig ung man under ett par år av hans liv. Det är någon gång under den franska ockupationen i mitten av 40-talet. I trakten han lever blir det under regnperioden massiva översvämningar och ett inte helt ovanligt arbete är "buffelcowboy" - att mot betalning ta hand om bönders bufflar och ta dem till ställen där det fortfarnade finns gräs. Filmen är endast löst sammanhållen, nästan episodisk, som nedslag i huvudpersonens liv (som inte bara handlar om bufflar). Det är ett bra drama men samtidigt lite osammanhängande och - ja, tråkigt. Bra musik och bra foto, sevärd men inte mycket mer. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member acting sucked. the english subtitles were better than the vietnamese script. scenery was soooo beautiful. (* A *) YAY VIETNAM! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member I like it, eventhough it was long but the plot was good Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member If you want to see a story about people in Vietnam that doesn't involve the Vietnam war, then here you go. The good parts involve how nice it is to see the landscapes within the wold of water buffalo herders. The music is very nicely done as well. The actors work well in their roles. The bad is that the story is so damn depressing and takes it's time. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Buffalo Boy

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Cast & Crew

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Minh Nguyen-Vo

Director

Le The Lu

Kim

Nguyen Thi Kieu Trinh

Ban

Nguyen Huu Thanh

Dinh

Kra Zan Sram

Det

Nguyen Anh Hoa

Hai

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The Buffalo Boy

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Movie Info

Synopsis In 1940s southern Vietnam, the rainy season threatens to consume life as much as sustain it. With his family's survival heavily dependent on a pair of buffalo, young Kim (Le The Lu) agrees to take the animals inland from the water-logged coast in search of food. On his journey, he witnesses firsthand the brutality of man and sees how taxes by the occupying French further harm the poor. When Kim encounters a herder (Vo Hoang Nhan) in a position to help, he must decide whether he can trust him.
Director
Minh Nguyen-Vo
Screenwriter
Minh Nguyen-Vo
Production Co
3B Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Vietnamese
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 9, 2004, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 2, 2016
Runtime
1h 43m
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