In Nanitic, director Carol Nguyen captures the fleeting essence of childhood, family bonds, and the quiet moments that shape us. Playful innocence meets inevitable change in this personal film, enriched with mystery and depth. Nguyen shares the inspiration behind the film’s metaphors, her casting process, and the transition from shorts to features
Were there particular memories or feelings from your own childhood that you wanted to evoke in the film?
I wanted to evoke naïvety, playfulness and wisdom in the film – something that is all presence during that moment in one’s life before everything turns into nostalgia. For Trang, without knowing, this is before her grandma dies and the family dynamic changes forever.
The ant metaphor is very interesting. How did you come up with it?
It was kind of a coincidence! I used to play with a bunch of bugs and critters when I was young. At one point my cousin and I had an “ant farm” in my grandma’s basement. When looking into what quirky past time the girls could have, I knew I wanted to involve one of those critters. After researching the possible symbols within their life cycle and behaviour, I thought the ant was a perfect metaphor that encapsulates larger themes within the film.
The film makes the house seem dense and full of mystery, particularly through the eyes of the young protagonists. How did you approach filming the location and framing the shots?
Thank you. I wanted to play with a mix of POV shots, depth and light. It was a collaborative effort with my cinematographer, Alexandre Nour Desjardins (2022’s Invincible, nominated last year for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film). We played a lot with the lighting to create different feelings between the day and night scenes. In terms of depth, I love playing with background and foreground within a frame. I think it shows that perspective is everything and that there are so many stories going on at once.
One of my favourite shots in the film is when Trang is eating her dinner, her auntie is in the middle ground and Grandma is in the background. To achieve this, I had a very specific idea of what I wanted the house to look like. For example, the kitchen and living room have to connect in order to have grandma’s presence be overwhelmingly felt at night, the house needs to be big enough, but not so much to look like a mansion, et cetera. Once we selected the location, it allowed us to see how far we could stretch our approach.
What was your process in casting for the film?
There are not a lot of professional child or middle-aged Vietnamese actors in Canada, so we ended up going through a “wild casting” process. We approached local Vietnamese newspapers, stores, and online groups to encourage people to submit. Once they submitted their online video, we did an in-person callback audition. We found Kylie Le, our lead, in Ontario, and finally Ly Pham and Van Pham in Quebec.
Could you share what you have in the pipeline and what we can look forward to seeing from you next?
I am currently in post-production for a documentary feature and in writing for a feature fiction. It’s been such a learning curve going from shorts to features, but I am enjoying the ride!
Nanitic will play on Viet Film Fest 2024’s virtual platform and will only be available to stream for viewers in the United States.
Interviewer: Chenglin Lee
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VIET FILM FEST 2024
October 5 to 20, 2024
Program Schedule and Tickets:
