Middle-aged Tam (Tú Oanh) is a meticulous wedding planner and the primary breadwinner of her household. Yet, beneath her composed exterior, she is overwhelmed by mounting domestic chaos. Her emotionally distant husband (Lê Vũ Long) is publicly exposed for infidelity on live television, and her young daughter Ha (Nguyễn Nam Linh) dreams only of escaping their provincial town for a better future in Europe. As Tam’s carefully constructed family begins to crumble—symbolized by a crack in her bedroom ceiling that starts to leak—she turns to a renowned spell master for help. But instead of reversing her misfortune, a mysterious and unsettling force is unwittingly unleashed and begins to haunt both her home and her family.

Don’t Cry, Butterfly (Mưa trên cánh bướm) premiered at the 81st Venice International Film Festival as part of the 39th Film Critics’ Week.

This debut feature continues director Dương Diệu Linh’s ongoing exploration of women’s lived experiences. It portrays the unspoken wounds embedded in everyday Vietnamese domestic life, conjuring a haunting narrative. Blending realism with surrealism, the film offers a poignant meditation on the interrelationship between gender norms and spiritual unrest. While it captures the repressive realities that women endure, the film is also suffused with moments of feminine fantasy and bittersweet hope. As Dương describes it, the film offers “a glimpse into this female-only universe where love, compassion, conflict, and betrayal are all intertwined.” 

By Xiangu Qi