Mùa Hình (2020): A Nostalgic Look at Vietnamese Childhood
"Duy Huỳnh Anh's Mùa Hình captures the nostalgic charm of Vietnamese childhood, exploring trading card games & the bonds they forge. Discover a timeless story of growth, family, and the deeper meaning of play
Duy Huỳnh Anh's short film Mùa Hình (Trading-card Season) is an entertaining glimpse into Vietnamese childhood during the 1990s, and the almost-seasonal nature of the games the film’s children play. For many Vietnamese viewers of a certain age, those games included marbles, coins, action figures, toy animals, and the inspiration for this film, trading cards. Here, twelve-year-old Bi (Nguyễn Viết Minh Tiến) learns, in his pursuit of trading card game mastery, the significance of family and brotherhood. The lessons learned here are not only to win at whatever game may be in season. As Bi navigates the ups and downs of his youthful obsession, he discovers that the bonds he forms with those around him—his friends, his siblings, and even his rivals—hold a deeper value than any rare card or fleeting victory. The film captures the nostalgia of a simpler time while weaving a timeless story of growth, where the true prize lies not in the game itself, but in the connections it fosters.
