Cuoi and the Banyan Tree

(Chú Cuội Cung Trăng)
6 min / color video / Vietnam / Philippines 2008
Director : Ta Thanh Hai
This animation is based on a famous Vietnamese folklore, which tells us
about the image that we see when we look up at the moon. The story
is about a poor fellow named Cuoi who luckily finds a magic tree that
can save lives in the forest. He brings it home. Since it is such a precious
tree, he has to water it with clean water. The tree helps Cuoi save lives
and also bestows him with a wife, land and houses. But one day, his wife
accidentally pours dirty water on it. The god that lives in the tree gets
scared and brings the tree with him to the moon. Cuoi, in attempting to
use his human strength to pull the tree down, is unsuccessful and is also
brought to the moon. From then on, whenever we look at the moon, we
still see the image of Cuoi, sitting below the shade of the tree.