Even though the winners in the game of capitalism may differ with each year, the ideology itself will probably last longer than some had anticipated, eventually outliving its alternatives. All round us, we witness the devastating effects of this system, from climate change to growing civil unrest and a rise of populism, while fighting against it always carries the air of backwardness and impractical fantasy and is labeled accordingly. As the time of the great conflicts come to an end, we face the eventual challenge of the haves and the have-nots through various agent’s wars all around the globe. In his short film “A Path Where No Man Goes” Vietnamese YouTuber Viet Tran (JV) aims to show a shocking image of the system following the concept of the chamber drama and the various formulas of success of modern business.

“A Path Where No Man Goes” is screening at Winter Film Awards International Film Festival 2020

After having written many articles about his businesses, young entrepreneur Quang Minh (JV) has become something of an obsession for the ambitious journalist Van Kien (Bi Max). Even though his boss does not want him to dig any further, resulting in Van Kien handing him his press ID, he still manages to schedule an interview with Minh which takes place in his office. However, as he is unhappy with the general nature of the answers the businessman provides, he asks him to go further and explain his business model in more detail. Satisfied the reporter has switched off his recording device and is not taking notes, Quang Minh defines his formula of success by telling him his success story, a tale of ambition, tactics and violence.

Although Viet Tran’s film lasts only 34 minutes he manages to draw a certain image of the world of business, and therefore about a troubling condition within our world. For men like Quang Minh the concept of the world resembles a game of chess, with the various chess pieces and the chessboard being the most important visual metaphors in the film. While also a game of wits and intelligence, it is also a game in which you outsmart your opponent through, for example, exploiting weaknesses. Those unable to think a few moves ahead or not following an adjustable strategy are doomed to lose, which, given the social implications the film hints at, are quite catastrophic and potentially threatening the idea of social cohesion or even the concept of democracy,

Despite the film mostly relying on dialogue, with the interview being the narrative framework of the film, Viet Tran manages to re-create this black-and-white vision of society visually. Apart from the aforementioned visual metaphors like the chessboard and its pieces, there are aspects such as the costumes, the lighting as well as the use of camera angles subtly highlighting the truth within the success formula of a character like Quang Minh. In general, his cut-throat mentality seems to have more in common with the like of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho”, especially when it comes to his idea of sacrifice, a term he understands in every sense of the word.

In the end, “A Path Where No Man Goes” is perhaps less of a thriller and more of a view on the modern world and how cut-throat capitalism threatens our way of life, or has already eroded it. While not exactly optimistic in tone, it is certainly visually a very convincing piece of work and hopefully provides a good calling card for its director for the film industry.