Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret of the First Emperor

The largest production in the history of Vietnamese cinema, this sweeping epic from director Nguyễn Phan Quang Binh (The Floating Lives) transports us to the era of the Đinh dynasty, when a diverse band of fearless warriors set out on a secret mission to safeguard a sacred mystery. Featuring an ensemble cast led by Tuấn Trần (Mai), Johnny Trí Nguyễn (Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods), and Đỗ Thị Hải Yến (TIFF ’02’s The Quiet American), Spirit Guardians: The Last Secret of the First Emperor is a spectacular tale of heroism and sacrifice.

Following a period of chaos and violence between warlords vying for territory, Đinh Bộ Lĩnh (Lê Vũ Long, TIFF ’24’s Don’t Cry, Butterfly) emerges as the first emperor of a newly independent Vietnam. Stability under Đinh’s reign is fragile, however, and when the emperor’s earthly life reaches its end, the sanctity of his tomb is under threat. Spanning class and gender, a team of seven warriors is dispatched to escort 99 coffins through enemy territory as part of a mission to ensure that Dinh’s resting place remains an eternal secret.

Reminiscent of the grand, engrossing period films of Akira Kurosawa and punctuated with breathtaking martial arts choreography, Spirit Guardians is at once bracingly visceral and flooded with sumptuous pageantry. Windswept locations, intricate production design, and exquisite, handmade costumes vividly evoke the rugged splendour of 10th-century Vietnam. This is epic storytelling, and a shining example of Vietnam's surging new film scene. 

Content advisory: violence, coarse language, mature themes