Tat Binh Dang

A soldier (Hien) survives the war and comes back to live with his brother's family (Tien). He can't seem to adjust to civilian life after the war and feels increasingly alienated from other people, whom he finds calculating, selfish and materialistic.

The portrayal of the group of women in the story as driven to a kind of hysteria after three years of isolated living at an army supply depot “deep in the ghostly arms of the forest” suggests the ways the war traumatized even those not involved directly in the actual fighting. The “laughing disorder” that apparently afflicts these women is likened to “the wild, cruel laughter of war.” There is no real path to recovery, no hope of finding happiness during peacetime. The women have been irrevocably changed by the war and counted now among its millions of victims.

The movie chronicles a state-owned theatre troupe's struggle to survive both artistically and financially. The actors and actresses have to support themselves with odd jobs ranging from selling food and drinks on the streets to dancing at bars to doing commercials. Then comes a great play, written and directed by Teacher Nguyen Dinh, a veteran playwright, and former troupe mentor. The play promises to bring the group everything they need: inspiring work, state funding, festival prizes, and fame. But the rising tension between lead actress Kim Ha and her womanizing co-star Van Hung due to their troubled past relationship threatens to tear the play apart.