In contemporary Vietnam, we meet Cao Thị Hậu and her family. She is the matriarch, the film’s protagonist, and the keeper of her family’s language and history. Born and raised in a cave, Cao now lives in a rural village and is the primary caretaker of her young grandson. True to its title, the film is an elemental series. Scenes of subtle simplicity illustrate and inform, much like the grandson’s vocabulary lessons. This oral history is brought to cinematic life through lush photography and tales of wonder, heartbreak, and perseverance. Intimate and intricate, the film possesses a timeless visual quality that underscores its universal themes of home and family, survival and hope. TM