Structured like a collection of home movies, the film consists of super 8, 16mm films, 35mm still photos, found footage, hand-painted film, claymation and digital videos of the filmmaker’s family in Vietnam, "Memories, Materials, Missing" is an attempt to understand the web that connects the elderly and the youth, to preserve the childhood of her siblings and cousins, to treasure fragmented mundane moments that are easily forgotten in daily life. The filmmaker’s cinematic exploration and imaginary archive of her family offers an intimate, nostalgic look into seemingly private memories yet speaks of her own personal cultural values and social histories. In the process, the filmmaker allows herself and her audience inside to see and feel beyond the blurry, fast-paced, and disconnected images.
