
2026
Fruit Gathering
2026
Fruit Gathering
A deep bond with unpredictable undercurrents forms between textile workers San Kyi and Theint Theint Oo. Is there a chance for something deeper between them or is the inexorable pull downwards inescapable in a Myanmar torn apart by brutal violence? Aung Phyoe’s heady drama dances between doom and desire.
With Myanmar’s film industry derailed by a military dictatorship and heavy censorship, it’s a miracle that Aung Phyoe’s debut feature (a Myanmar, Czech and French co-production) was made. Premiering at Karlovy Vary with powerful yet measured performances, Phyoe’s queer vision was rewarded with the coveted Crystal Globe. Nandar Myat Aung plays San Kyi, a listless textile worker daydreaming of leaving city life to return home to the upcountry. That possibility, however distant, expands to encompass a much grander ambition with the arrival of a new co-worker, Theint Theint Oo (Nandar Myint Lwin). Handsomely shot by cinematographer Thaiddhi, Fruit Gathering tackles everything from the generational impacts of such violence to the country’s strict patriarchal structures and economic hardship, all while never losing sight of the capacity for both human tenderness and cruelty.
