Before Your Eyes - Vietnam (1982)

Before Your Eyes - Vietnam (1982) poster

Before Your Eyes – Vietnam (1982) is an unconventional essay film by Harun Farocki that interrogates the visual and ideological legacy of the Vietnam War. Blending staged scenes, archival footage, photographs, and philosophical dialogue, the film follows various characters — including an American soldier captured by North Vietnamese villagers — as they reflect on violence, memory, and image-making. Set partly in West Berlin and partly in reconstructed spaces representing Vietnam, the film avoids traditional dramatic narrative in favor of a fragmented montage of voices, documents, and reenactments. Interweaving love stories, political debate, and historical commentary, Farocki creates a critical reflection on how war is represented, seen, and imagined, both in cinema and in public consciousness. The result is a complex meditation on images as weapons and instruments of perception.

Director: Harun Farocki
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 114 min
Release Date:

Cast

Music: Markus Spies
Cinematography: Ebba Jahn, Ingo Kratisch
Editing: Johannes Beringer
Country: Germany
Language: Deutsch
Original Language: de
More Films by Director: Harun Farocki
More Films in Genre: Drama

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Before Your Eyes - Vietnam about?
Before Your Eyes – Vietnam (1982) is an unconventional essay film by Harun Farocki that interrogates the visual and ideological legacy of the Vietnam War. Blending staged scenes, archival footage, photographs, and philosophical dialogue, the film follows various characters — including an American soldier captured by North Vietnamese villagers — as they reflect on violence, memory, and image-making. Set partly in West Berlin and partly in reconstructed spaces representing Vietnam, the film avoids traditional dramatic narrative in favor of a fragmented montage of voices, documents, and reenactments. Interweaving love stories, political debate, and historical commentary, Farocki creates a critical reflection on how war is represented, seen, and imagined, both in cinema and in public consciousness. The result is a complex meditation on images as weapons and instruments of perception.
Who directed Before Your Eyes - Vietnam?
Before Your Eyes - Vietnam was directed by Harun Farocki.
Who stars in Before Your Eyes - Vietnam?
Before Your Eyes - Vietnam stars Bruno Ganz, Inga Humpe, Hanns Zischler, Anna Mandel, Marcel Werner, Ernst Helter.
How long is Before Your Eyes - Vietnam?
Before Your Eyes - Vietnam has a runtime of 1h 54m (114 minutes).
What genre is Before Your Eyes - Vietnam?
Before Your Eyes - Vietnam is a Drama film.
Where was Before Your Eyes - Vietnam produced?
Before Your Eyes - Vietnam was produced in Germany.