If love is a flame, how does one keep it burning without being consumed by it? Bùi Thạc Chuyên’s Glorious Ashes weaves together haunting stories of three separate women in a seaside village of Southern Vietnam who strive to carry the flame in their relationship and circumstance.

Hau (Juliet Bảo Ngọc Doling), trapped in a loveless marriage, finds herself desperately longing for her husband's (Lê Công Hoàng; VFF 2021’s Goodbye Mother)  attention. Every thought and action she takes becomes a means to gain his recognition, but he remains indifferent to her existence. Nhan (Phương Anh Đào; VFF 2018’s Summer in Closed Eyes and My Mr. Wife), on the other hand, begins her life in the village with an idyllic marriage. However, her world is soon set ablaze and she finds herself desperately trying to preserve what remains of the love she once knew. Lastly, Loan (Ngô Phạm Hạnh Thúy), haunted by a harrowing past, wrestles with the painful task of making peace with the man who sexually assaulted her during her childhood. Her journey towards healing and forgiveness becomes a profound exploration of love's capacity to endure.

Glorious Ashes premiered at the 2022 Tokyo International Film Festival, where it was nominated for the festival’s premier award, the Tokyo Grand Prix. This film marks Bùi’s third entry into Viet Film Fest, after Sống Trong Sợ Hãi (Living in Fear) (VFF 2007’s Spotlight Award winner for screenwriter Nguyễn Thị Minh Ngọc) and Chơi Vơi (Adrift) (VFF 2011). – Thy Tran