UXO – Unexploded Ordnance

Irregular high-pitched squeaks drown out the sounds of nature while Bay crawls slowly through the brushwood. Highly focused, the 19-year-old moves the metal detector close to the ground from right to left, left to right – his eyes following its movement. Slowly, the reason for his actions reveals itself. Here in the province of Quang Tri – the bitterly embattled borderline of the Vietnam War – Bay, together with 40 recruits, is on the lookout for mines and bombs, which caused havoc nearly 30 years ago and continue to claim victims to this day.

Besides their dangerous duty, Bay and his comrades are just ordinary boys who, for two years, spend their days in the isolation of a military camp. Just before the military service, Bay fell in love for the first time and now he waits for a letter from his girlfriend every day.
Inside the camp, a surrogate family has developed. Secret excursions at night and hidden smoking behind the washhouse are timid attempts to feel a bit of freedom. On the harsh
threshold between the youthful love of adventure and the responsibility of a soldier, friendships have been made.
The boys tell each other of their anxieties, dreams and longings.

Source: German films Service & Marketing GmbH