I have aIways Iived in Ca Mau, with the dry and flooding seasons.
From the time before independence,
I onIy remember the flooding seasons.
The water wouId cover the Iand, rotting everything:
the grass and the houses, the buffaIoes and the men.
Of the dry season, I onIy recaII the earth's smeII,
the smeII of moId
that rose up after each flood.
I knew that one day...
Grandpa!
Come and see!
...I wouId teII you, Lam,
my granddaughter,
the taIe of the floods,
the men
and their buffaIoes.
We onIy owned two buffaIoes.
The Iand beIonged to the owners.
Without our buffaIoes, we couIdn't pay our taxes and debts,
or even eat.
Kim, you've forgotten your lunch.
Thanks, Dad.
I was 15 under French ruIe.
My father was sick.
The water returned, rotting the grass.
The buffaIoes were hungry.
Do we take your buffaloes?
How much do you want?
For you, ten a head.
Ten?
Kien wanted half that
just the other day.
lt's 15 for the others. Take it or leave it!
lt's raining again.
May it rain forever!
This year, God plays fair and respects the seasons.
Any more rain and we'll have to move to the roof!
The rice jars are floating around the house,
haven't you noticed?
Don't blame God!
After the drought, the floods. That's how it is.
You'll see, we'll lose our two buffaloes.
We should have let the herders take them.
How would we have paid?
We're already up to our necks in debt.
Kim can go to work for Huong Ca and he'll advance us the money.
Kim refuses to work for Huong Ca.
Besides, last year, we managed to keep our buffaloes here.
You're talking rubbish. What if our buffaloes die?
Who can tell what God's plans are?
There's no more grass. What do we do, Dad?
Have you looked near the Soc Xoai pagoda?
Yes. lt's all gone.
Even there, there's nothing left.
But the bonze promised me some!
He threw me out!
Our buffaloes work hard for us and we can't even feed them!
- We have to send them away. - How can we afford it?
We should have sent them when the rains started.
Kim can go!
Who'll go fishing?
l will.
You're in no fit state!
God and Buddha will help us this year.
Do you want to go?
Yes, Dad.
Take good care of our buffaloes.
Be sure not to stray.
l'll bring the buffaloes back healthy.
Find the best grass.
The bad kinds of grass weaken them.
Yes, yes.
Tell Lap we'll pay him 10 baskets of rice.
Lap goes to Mount Ba-The first.
Take all the short cuts. You'll catch up by tomorrow.
The God of the Waters will protect you.
Don't forget to pray each time you pass a temple.
Yes, Dad.
Take my new mat to sleep on.
lt's Kim's chance to learn a trade.
A trade, buffalo herding? They're all crooks!
l don't like the idea.
Herding animals day and night, in water, without food or sleep...
You know, you learn something else as well.
You've never set foot on Mount Ba-The.
Kim will be seeing it soon.
So what?
lt's an incredibly beautiful place,
where the buffaloes watch the clouds as they graze,
rubbing against the pillars of the temple of Kings and Lords.
From Ba-The to the Seven Mountains,
the herd of buffaloes spreads out majestically.
Elephants travel in herds of twenty
and tigers in twos or threes...
Everyone has seen that.
But when several hundred buffaloes travel together,
they darken the landscape.
lt looks like the time of the universe's creation.
Even the bonzes who have withdrawn to the mountains
to flee the world
come out to gaze on the black and violent herd of buffaloes!
Are you asleep?
Are you listening?
You're not answering... You're asleep, then?
l heard you.
You hear with your ears, not with your mouth!
Oh, you were listening! So where had l got to?
You'd got to:
''The buffaloes move, the bonzes watch them...''
Yes, that's it...
There are no mosquitoes there, just fresh and fragrant grass.
The wild animals stay away or kneel down before the buffaloes.
Where's Ba-The?
ls there any grass there?
l know you're hungry. We'll join the others tomorrow.
There are a lot of them but, if you always stay together,
they'll never dare to bother you.
lt's time to sleep now.
- Let him go. - Why, Dad?
He could be the Prince of the Waters out for a walk!
They're coming. Don't worry, l'll handle this.
Get out of the way.
l want to come with you.
Who are you? Where are you going alone?
l'm Kim, from Hon Soc.
We were at your place two days ago!
Please. My two buffaloes are dying of hunger.
Ask Lap, our chief.
Sir, will you accept me?
l'm Dinh's son...
He changed his mind? Got money?
We'll pay you with rice.
No way!
This game's not for you!
Father will pay double.
What ajoke. Get lost!
l'll help you. And l won't ask to be paid.
Your old man thinks l'm mad?
l'm a very good cook. For pity's sake, Mr Lap!
Sau is sick, he can't go on.
We need to replace him.
Careful. l don't trust his old man.
l'll see to it.
Hurry it up! We need to find good grass for the animals.
They can't go on much longer.
Kid, it's okay. You can come with us! You hear me?
Forget it.
Why? Are you mad or what?
lf you change your mind, find me!
You're very hungry, l know.
Too many stones. They can't go on.
Pain in the ass!
We're stopping for the night!
l know how much you're suffering.
Look after these buffaloes. Go between Thanh and Quang.
We'll leave before dawn.
My buffaloes are starving. Will there be more grass tomorrow?.
There's a big hill there covered with grass.
l need to check first.
When will we get there?
Your buffaloes aren't alone!
Kien's gang has taken all the grass!
The fuckers!
Go and get Det, quickly!
One of the buffaloes is dying.
You know what to do, right? Prepare the ceremony!
Get them to the island!
- Come and help me. - You're killing it?
ls it your first time?
You can help me to skin it.
What for?
To prove we didn't sell it.
Alive, you were might itself!
Dead, you possess divine powers! Seers and Gods, protect us!
Chief!
What is it?
He was tied up in a tree!
Kien's gang wants to slow us down.
Put those torches out!
Fuck! How many of them?
Ten. They've taken all the grass from these islands.
Bastards! What does Kien want?
- 200. - We asked him for less last year.
Shut it!
l know another place full of grass.
We'll leave at dawn.
Here, we risk being attacked.
Quang and Kim will have to keep watch.
You're too young to herd buffaloes.
lt was my father who sent me. How about you?
l ran away.
My old man was always drunk.
He'd beat my mother for her money.
She's very sick.
l have to find money fast.
Do you want to make a lot?
l have a great plan.
We'll share the profits...
Chief!
Quang has taken two buffaloes and rice!
Bastard! Wait till l get my hands on him!
We're leaving! This way!
The Seven Mountains are that way!
No one will find us this way.
Lap!
How's business?
ls Kien's gang around?
- They came by yesterday. - Heading where?
You want a report, maybe?
Same tax as last year?
You have more buffaloes and our chiefs want their share.
How do l eat after?
Do you have the papers? Maybe you stole these buffaloes?
And the personal tax?
How many are you?
All right!
Where did Kien go?
You're a band of vagabonds and crooks!
Crooks who pay the taxes
to feed your French chiefs.
l don't drink.
We don't need a bonze here.
Drink before it's all gone!
Your father taught me to drink.
My father?
Xuyen's gang is here!
You recognize me?
My friend, good to see you!
With a fire like that, no one can miss you.
What are you celebrating? l smell liquor.
What have you got?
Weed. The year's best!
As pure as gold!
What's your price?
Try it first,
then tell me what it's worth.
How many buffaloes do you have?
Why do you ask?
More than last year!
lt's good stuff!
Have some more.
These woodcutters,
they always have the best weed.
Leave me a little!
Okay?
Come and see!
Kim is back!
We've lost a buffalo.
These are its horns and hide. They're heavy!
l should've dumped them!
My God!
How will we pay off our debts?
lt's fate.
At least we still have one left.
And how are you, Kim ?
You haven't been sick?
How was it? What did...
l want to go again.
No. lt's the last time! After the harvest,
we sell the buffalo and stop growing rice.
Shit, l don't want to sell it!
You already talk like a lout.
Kim, watch your language!
We'll find a way to keep our buffalo.
What way?
Can you tell me that?
What are you doing?
Can't you get to sleep?
For months, l slept with them.
l forgot to give you this this afternoon.
Wonderful. Thank you, Dad.
You want some?
- ls it too weak? - At Mount Ba-The,
we had good grass!
Your grandfather taught me.
l've forgotten how it ends.
Drink a little to warm yourself.
You must have drunk a fair bit!
l was a buffalo herder, like you,
for more than 30 years.
Lap said he's known you for a long time.
You shouldn't go listening to him.
He says you were the best. No one dared to hassle you.
Fuck!
Stop swearing!
ls it true you had dozens of buffaloes?
Did he tell you anything else?
No, that's all.
Did you have any girls?
No, but l know all about that.
Really? Such as?
l know what Lap does. l saw him rape a girl.
- Not enough for a meal. - l'll do better tomorrow.
My back hurts too much.
No one will lend me money anymore.
There's only one solution...
- Huong Ca told me... - What?
No, we won't sell the buffalo to him.
You know how fond Kim is of that animal!
But we have nothing else to sell!
Starve if you want but don't drag me down too.
Kim!
- Stop to eat. - What have you brought?
Your favourite: grilled fish.
Eat with me, Dad.
You've worked well, my son!
All this work with one buffalo!
The ground isn't hard yet.
The poor animal works too much. All your mother and l can do now
is leave for U Minh to work as land guarders.
Do people know l'm working to pay them back?
Yes, but they refuse to wait any longer.
They'll take our buffalo tomorrow.
They want even more money. The bastards!
ln any case,
we can't survive here with one buffalo.
No one is touching my buffalo!
Your mother and l promised them.
We can't change our minds.
At the next rains, l'll pay back twice the amount.
- You're not going with Lap again. - That's my business.
l'll go if l fucking want!
Don't talk to me like that!
Your mother was right,
you've turned into a real lout!
She only thinks of money!
Shut it!
Kim!
Are you sure? And your parents?
They've sold up and left.
- l'll talk to Lap. - Do you like Lap?
Who likes that shit?
But he's the chief.
You know his schemes, right?
What do you mean?
Will we be his slaves forever?
You don't know what he's like.
lf he knows we're tricking him, we'll be fish food!
He waits until the season ends to raise the prices.
We'll fix our prices early and we won't be greedy.
But how will we find customers?
Nobody will entrust a buffalo to a Khmer like me.
Can't we approach the Khmers?
Khmers with buffaloes aren't that easy to find!
l'll find Viets.
How will we share the money?
You know it?
My father taught me.
- lt's an old Khmer tune. - Really?
Kim, look at that!
Who are they?
Kien's gang?
Or Lap's!
We must find another route.
What about the French custom?
We'll travel by night. Sleep now!
We leave in four hours.
We've lost them.
We have no food left. There's a village near here.
We can have a drink there.
No. You go on your own.
l'll mend my sampan.
lt's leaking.
Are you hiding something from me?
l knew a girl there.
l'd like one too. Can she help me?
- Come on, come with me. - No. Go on your own.
She has to beg you?
Don't laugh, l still want to marry her.
So what are you waiting for?
Her family hates me.
Her parents want to kill me.
She's a Viet. l got her pregnant.
When was that?
Five years ago,
before l started to work for Lap.
Do you want me to help, Mum?
This is from Det.
Where is he? l want to see him!
He'll come for you and the child.
- What are you doing, Mum? - Bring your things!
- Why? - We're going to see your father.
l don't want to. l'd rather fish with grandpa!
Where is he?
Dad, let me leave!
l've been waiting too long.
- Hey, Quang! - Kim!
- What are you doing here? - The same job, but with Det.
- How about that! - And you?
l'm taking mangrove wood down to Bac Lieu.
Come and drink. We have good liquor.
You know that Lap killed two guys in Kien's gang?
Heard anything from your parents?
l don't even know where they are.
Last week, l saw your father near U Minh.
The state he was in!
l don't care what happens to him!
He was very ill and he was alone.
Your mother... has left him.
He hadn't been able to eat for more than a week.
You know, if l could have seen my mother before she...
Have you won at cards or what?
Chicken costs a fortune!
We're celebrating our reunion! Shall we take Quang?
No. lf he does what he did to Lap,
we're finished.
He was desperate.
lf we're fair with him, he won't do it.
You want to starve to death?
The little we make, you want to hire staff!
l'll split my share.
What do we need him for? l don't like his ugly mug.
Fucking hell!
What are you talking about?
Kim told me to come for a drink.
l don't intend to work with you!
Guys, l'm going to be away for a few days.
Fuck... What are you talking about?
You're off to see your father.
Your father? You said you didn't care about him!
l'll go when we get to U Minh.
Det, will you lend me some money?
You've never seen someone row before?
You row so well...
Do you want tea?
No... Keep rowing.
lsn't this life too hard?
l learn more every day.
Kim!
Where are you?
l... l'm here!
Do you want a cup of tea?
We're stopping for lunch.
We'll soon be in U Minh.
Take this money.
Lap and Kien are around somewhere,
be careful.
When are you leaving?
Wait until dark.
Catch it!
- What? - My shadow.
l want to catch my shadow!
l've got it!
l want to play!
You cover this hole
and you blow very softly.
l know how to play now. Who taught you?
My father.
You still have a dad at your age?
Yes.
My father left before l was born.
Where's your father?
l've abandoned him.
Are you thirsty, Dad?
You have to eat something.
Forget it... Keep rowing.
Crows. Look out, Dad!
Crows? l thought that...
Let them rip my flesh but don't capsize the boat.
Don't worry about it!
lt's hard taking short cuts but there are no customs men here.
Can you see trees or a village ahead?
No, Dad.
- ls it dawn? - No, it's dusk.
Stop rowing.
l'll give you this shirt.
No, Dad. Try to rest.
Take it now.
My son, can you forgive me?
You don't share your mother's blood.
Stay calm, we'll find a doctor for you.
Your real mother died
giving birth to you.
Stop, you are raving!
l raped her when l was buffalo herding.
Shut up.
She was Lap's sister. She...
Bullshit... Fuck!
lt's all bullshit... You're raving!
What's happening?
Has someone fallen in the water?
My father has just died.
The poor man... Where are you from?
The isle of Ong Chuong.
Where are you going? Do you have family near here?
Help me, please. l don't have anybody!
Nobody.
My God... What do we do?
Okay, follow me.
What do you plan to do?
lt's very hot and there are crows.
We must bury him quickly.
l've seen nothing but water for two days.
Where can we bury him?
l said ''bury'' out of habit. But, in fact,
we have two choices.
Either we hang him from poles stuck in the water
and wait for the dry season to bury him.
We can wrap him
to keep the crows away.
But it's not easy. The birds always manage to...
Or...
we tie him to a stone and let him sink.
Who'd want to eat fish from here again?
My father should have known!
He shouldn't have come here only to die without a grave.
lt's God's will. We're all the same here.
No one chooses to live here.
There's no sense in blaming your parents and God.
My husband will help you.
Do it now before it gets dark!
So, what's your decision?
lt's the last bottle.
l swear l spit it all out.
l'm not drinking a toast with a corpse!
lt's too tough. l won't do it again, even for a fortune!
You'll see when it's your turn!
Don't worry.
ln any case, sooner or later, it happens to us all.
l'll light some incense for you.
Bow down before your father.
We have no incense left.
lt doesn't matter,
he can't see anything anymore.
Oh, my God!
You owe me another bottle!
Hurry. The current's carrying him off.
Give me the rope.
The current is flowing that way.
The old man's temperamental!
God of the Waters and merciful Buddha,
return his corpse to us and l'll shave my head for Buddha!
This time, he pulled my foot.
l've tied him up!
Gently, kid. The sampan's going to capsize.
Dry yourself, you'll catch a chill!
Here, you too.
This boy reminds me of Dai.
And we're putting his father under water...
What can we use to weigh him down?
- Can we use this? - No!
That thing's expensive. We've had it since Rach-Gia.
l wouldn't want to be hung from a pole...
Give it to him, for the peace of Dai's soul.
Dai's soul has already risen to heaven.
But we need that mill.
You only think of yourself.
How much is this thing worth?
lf you worked all your life, you still couldn't afford it!
l'll pay double the cost.
Where will you get the money?
l'll herd buffaloes and borrow from my friends.
No one can trust a buffalo herder!
What if l gave you half for your liquor?
What if he doesn't come back?
You'll have the money tomorrow.
All right.
Wager on a lout if you want! As long as l have money to drink...
Kid, come and lend me a hand.
Right, l'm going now.
Hold on, take the base stone too.
Why?
What if the corpse rises back up?
lt won't.
Who can say?
What use is the base without the mill?
Wait a second!
Careful, the sampan might sink.
Gently...
l'll be lucky if l don't sink!
Once,
we had a son
who was more or less your age.
Let's pray to God and Buddha...
The God of the Waters wiII protect you.
Don't forget to pray each time you pass a tempIe.
Go on, swim!
l'll teach you!
What are you doing?
lf the dragonfly bites your belly button, you'll swim.
l don't want to.
- A boy can't be afraid. - l don't want to!
Where does rain come from, Uncle Kim?
- Dark clouds. - Where do dark clouds come from?
The sky.
Where does the rain go?
- To the sea. - Then where does it go?
Back to the sky.
How can water go up to the sky?
Why is rain clear when this water is so murky?
There are dead things in the water.
What things?
Trees, plants...
buffaloes... men...
This is the first time
that you're not with Thieu.
He's learning chess with Kim.
They should play more often!
Thieu adores Kim.
What about you?
Are you jealous?
lf anything happens to me, you know who to count on.
l don't want to lose you again. l'm sick of this life.
But we make good money and we're nobody's slaves.
l want to move to dry land,
far from here.
We'll never find that.
And l don't want to be a slave to landowners!
You haven't said a word since you got back, pal.
Play something.
Want ajoint?
Has a girl captured your heart?
What's wrong, Kim?
What's become of your mother?
Lap's gang is here!
Where's Kim?
Go and hide!
Go on. Let me handle it!
lt's been a while... l didn't believe it!
There's a whole gang of you!
Where are the others?
Delaying the time of their death?
lt was all my idea.
You're a smart one.
Like father, like son!
l always suspected
that your old man was up to something.
lt's nothing to do with him!
Tell him from me
that if he thinks he can edge me out,
he's out of his mind!
l buried him three days ago.
He's dead!
My father told me that he still felt ashamed.
ls it true... that you had a sister?
Follow me!
My mother entrusted me to your father when l was 10.
He taught me everything. He was a father to me.
When l heard what he did to my sister...
lt's not true. You're lying! You want to trick me!
His spirit has entered you?
Shut up!
That bastard raped my sister... She stopped me from killing him...
The wound from my dagger left him weak
and l took over his business.
And your sister... My mother?
She died one week after you were born.
Your father came to fetch you right away.
l owe him everything.
Where did you bury him?
Be careful!
You won't get a second chance!
l've made food for you for the journey.
l'd like to go with Uncle Kim!
Ba Hai, are you here?
Ba Hai!
Mr Haitich!
You haven't left yet? Please, just go away!
The shaman will be here soon.
What? Do you recognize me?
Keep away from me.
You want to take my wife, don't you?
No. You helped me for my father...
You've already taken the mill
and now you want to drag my wife down to hell!
Kim...
What is it?
She died one month after you left.
Who? Who's dead?
Ba Hai? How?.
One day, she didn't feel well.
She went to lie down and she never woke up again.
l tried...
How did you bury her?
You see, she didn't want to keep the base of the mill.
Here, this is the money l owe you.
Keep it.
Buy another mill with it!
Do you remember where you put my father?
l stuck a pole in the water but the current carried it off.
Tomorrow, we'll try looking where the current took it.
My father always believed in fate.
Perhaps this is the way God wanted it.
Kim!
Are you hungry?
We must harvest before the floods.
Don't worry. l'll mend your sampan too to go fishing.
You don't want to herd buffaloes with your friends anymore?
l hear they have a lot of customers.
l don't want anything more to do with them.
Where are we?
Does it matter?
Water's the same everywhere.
l'd like to go to Ba Hai.
Last night, she came back for me.
With the mill gone,
l don't want to end up hanging in the air for months.
Uncle Kim!
Lap came in the middle of the night with his men.
They took Det and Quang.
l haven't had any news for almost a year now.
A year! Why didn't you...
l looked for Det everywhere.
Why didn't you come back to us?
l couldn't have taken it...
ln the end, it was better that way.
Can you look after Thieu? He needs a father.
A father... You want me to be his father?
Where do you plan to go, Ban?
Thieu knows. lf he wakes, l won't be able to leave.
You don't need to leave. Stay here with me and Thieu.
I stayed to raise Thieu
on this water.
At the end of the war, the Japanese
drove the French out and were then driven out in turn.
But the water returned,
as aIways,
nourishing the Iand, giving us fish,
but rotting everything, men and buffaIoes,
the Iiving and the dying.
Lam, you're hoIding your great-grandfather's bones.
Where shouId I start?
With the dry season or the flooding season?
Subtitles: lan Burley
Subtitling by TVS - TlTRA FlLM Up by Springbay