Don’t Cry, Butterfly
Singapore Premiere
Duong Dieu Linh Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia 2024 97 min NC16 (Sexual Scene)
A middle-aged woman seeks otherworldly help as her family comes undone in this dark fantasy tale of contemporary womanhood.
When mother and breadwinner Tam discovers her husband’s affair on live TV, her domestic life begins to unravel. As she grapples with the humiliation of neighbourly gossip and mourns the good old days, her daughter grows distant, dreaming of moving to Europe. Their alienation mirrors a mysterious leak on their ceiling, which seems to morph and grow ever larger. Determined to set things right, Tam turns to a spiritual master for help.
Don’t Cry, Butterfly paints a wry but empathetic character study of a woman brimming with unbeatable resolve and deep-seated angst. Tam’s austere, commandeering front as a wedding planner ironically nurses a gathering storm of stifling gender traditions and unrequited yearnings which constantly threatens to boil over.
Merging a pop colour palette with haunting subject matter, Duong Dieu Linh’s spirited debut conjures repressive suburban realities with a touch of magic, tragic humour and hope.
Q&A with Filmmaker(s), Audience Choice Award
29 Nov, Fri 8:30PM / 97 min
The Projector, Yangtze
Q&A with Filmmaker(s), Audience Choice Award
30 Nov, Sat 11:00AM / 97 min
National Gallery Singapore
AT THE FEST!
All screenings are on a free seating, first-come, first-served basis. We kindly ask all ticket holders to arrive on time to be guaranteed entry.
RUSH QUEUE:
For last-minute attendees, good news. Our Rush Queue is back this year!
Don't Cry, Butterfly
Mưa trên cánh bướm
Duong Dieu Linh
Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia
2024
Vietnamese
English
97 min
NC16 (Sexual Scene)
Singapore Premiere
Duong Dieu Linh
Vietnamese filmmaker Duong Dieu Linh captures eccentric yet authentic stories of middle-aged Vietnamese women. Don’t Cry, Butterfly, her feature debut, premiered and won the Grand Prize in Venice Critics’ Week. Her short films, Sweet, Salty (2019) and A Trip to Heaven (2020), were screened in competition at SGIFF.
Tan Si En,
Wilfredo C. Manalang,
Nguyễn Mai Ka,
Yulia Evina Bhara,
Des Tan,
Alicia Catubay-Watt,
George K. Sommerrock,
Nathaniel Lee,
Madonna B. Sanchez
Lê Tú Oanh,
Nguyễn Nam Linh,
Lê Vũ Long
