Buffalo Boy

Set in the lowlands of southern Viet Nam in 1940, Mua Len Trau tells a powerful coming of age story involving independence, survival, and man’s battle with and dependence on nature. As a first test of his manhood, 15-year-old Kim’s aging father trusts him to herd the family’s water buffaloes to the high pastures of the surrounding mountains to escape the severe floods of the six-month rainy season. During his perilous journey, Kim discovers the world of the buffalo keepers – a harsh, male world fuelled by alcohol, and fraught with violence and betrayal, but with qualities of friendship and independence. Drawn to this nomadic life, Kim must choose between freedom and family.