Buffalo Boy
A teenage Vietnamese farmer crosses a flooded colonial landscape with two starving buffalo and encounters the harsh adult world awaiting him.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- melancholic
- austere
- immersive
- quiet evening
- world cinema night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a visually striking and affecting historical coming-of-age drama rooted in Vietnam's rural landscape.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Kim's journey inland with the family buffalo exposes him to exploitation, violence, poverty, and the responsibilities of adult rural life.
The flooded southern Vietnamese countryside is both the source of livelihood and the force that drives the buffalo herding journey.
French taxation and occupation intensify the material struggles of subsistence farmers and the poor.
Kim's family depends on two buffalo, and finding pasture for them becomes the concrete purpose of his journey.
Films like Buffalo Boy, and why
The Scent of Green Papaya
shared coming-of-age drama, rural poverty, and richly observed Southeast Asian social worlds
Indochine
shared historical drama, colonial-era Southeast Asian setting, and intimate focus on family and social hierarchy
The Story of the Weeping Camel
shared contemplative rural drama, young protagonist, and conflict between subsistence life and oppressive social systems
Movie Details
- Director
- Minh Nguyen-Vo
- Release Date
- 2004-08-14
- Runtime
- 102 min
- Rating
- 6.5 / 10 (11)
Cast
- Lê Thế Lữ
- Kiều Trinh
- Nguyễn Hữu Thành
- Zan Sram Kra
- Van Be Truong
- Ánh Hoa
- Nguyễn Thị Thắm
- Hoang Nhan Vo
- Trương Quang Thịnh
- Nguyễn Văn Đây
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video
- Buy
- Amazon Video
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Buffalo Boy about?
- A teenage Vietnamese farmer crosses a flooded colonial landscape with two starving buffalo and encounters the harsh adult world awaiting him.
- What is Buffalo Boy like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Buffalo Boy as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Buffalo Boy violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Buffalo Boy as moderate.
- What did critics think of Buffalo Boy?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a visually striking and affecting historical coming-of-age drama rooted in Vietnam's rural landscape.
- Which films are like Buffalo Boy?
- Films with a similar feel include The Scent of Green Papaya, Indochine, and The Story of the Weeping Camel.
- How long is Buffalo Boy?
- Buffalo Boy runs 102 minutes.
- Where can I watch Buffalo Boy?
- In United States, Buffalo Boy is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video.
