Nostalgia for the Countryside (1995): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1995, Nostalgia for the Countryside is a drama and romance film directed by Dang Nhat Minh, running about 116 minutes.

What it’s about. Set in a small village in North Vietnam, a tale of awakening which traces a growing love triangle between Nham, an earnest and responsible 17-year-old country boy; the charming Ngu, his lonely and naive sister-in-law with whom he works closely in the fields; and Quyen, a stylishly vivacious expatriate who has just returned from the city, curious about life in the village where she spent her childhood. While all three characters are too reticent to unleash their feelings, the romance turns on the realization that this web of emotions is largely symbolic. Nham represents for Quyen an innocence and a past that she can’t recapture, just as she represents for Nham an urbanity and future prospects that he may never attain; and caught between the two is the delicate Ngu, left in the most desolate postion of positions.

Who’s in it. Nostalgia for the Countryside stars Lê Vân as Quyen, Ngoc Bao Ta as Nham, Huong Thuy as Ngu and Thinh Trinh as Grandfather Giao Quy, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 4.6/10, Nostalgia for the Countryside has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Nostalgia for the Countryside page.

If you liked it. Fans of Nostalgia for the Countryside tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.