Stay Awake, Be Ready

By Pham Thien An

Vietnam, South Korea, USA | In Vietnamese with English subtitles | 2019 | 14 min | PG13 (Some Coarse Language)

 

On a busy street corner, three young men have a conversation over food. Suddenly, a motorcycle crash occurs nearby. As the crowd clears, a young boy appears to perform street tricks, and a beer girl plies her trade.

Filmed over one unbroken long take, this work brings together these slice-of-life vignettes. In this tableau of humanity, the focus moves from specific characters and events, to the relationships between them. This prompts viewers to take a step back and reflect on their own significance in the grand scheme of things.

Stay Awake, Be Ready won the Illy Prize for Best Short Film in the Director’s Fortnight section at Cannes Film Festival (2019).