Nam is a young Vietnamese Australian writer striving to establish his artistic identity in a prestigious program. He consciously avoids drawing on his cultural heritage in his work, preferring eclectic subjects, until the unannounced arrival of his father forces him to confront his past. He is emotionally guarded and views storytelling through an ambitious, sometimes detached lens.

Ba is a survivor of the Mỹ Lai massacre whose life has been indelibly shaped by his experiences during the Vietnam War. He maintains a stoic and somewhat enigmatic demeanor, frequently communicating through traditional proverbs. He bears deep physical and psychological scars that create a formidable barrier between him and his son.

Ron is a fourteen-year-old sicario surviving in the brutal world of contract killing in Colombia to support his mother. Despite his hardened profession, he retains a strong sense of loyalty and struggles internally with the moral compromises demanded by his environment. He often daydreams of escaping to the coastal city of Cartagena.

Hernando is a young man in Medellín who actively attempts to leave his violent past behind by joining an anti-violence program. He serves as a symbol of hope for a different way of life, constantly urging his friend Ron to abandon contract killing and seek redemption alongside him.

El Padre is a powerful, manipulative agent who controls a network of young assassins in Medellín. He cultivates a paternal and militaristic image among his operatives, demanding absolute loyalty while viewing his soldiers as entirely disposable. He utilizes fear, reputation, and calculated favors to maintain his grip on the local drug trade.

Henry is an aging, successful neo-figurative painter residing in New York whose life is consumed by physical decline and overwhelming regret. Dealing with the recent death of his much-younger partner and a concerning medical diagnosis, he makes a desperate attempt to reconnect with the daughter he abandoned seventeen years earlier. He frequently filters his present reality through a haze of alcohol, memory, and physical pain.

Elise is an eighteen-year-old cello prodigy who was raised in Russia by her mother after her father's abandonment. Having grown up completely isolated from Henry, she views his sudden attempts at reconciliation with cold distance, treating their connection as a purely financial and transactional obligation.

Jamie is an Australian teenager and local football hero coping with intense personal and social pressures in the declining town of Halflead Bay. He is quietly terrified of his community's violent standards of masculinity and feels deeply inadequate under his father's stoic expectations. He must handle a dangerous local rivalry while secretly processing his mother's terminal illness.

Alison is a popular, highly sought-after girl in Halflead Bay who feels suffocated by her environment and her emotionally distant relationship. Outwardly confident and rebellious, she harbors genuine dissatisfaction with her life and seeks authenticity by initiating a connection with Jamie, placing him in direct conflict with her formidable boyfriend.

Dory is a local footballer whose fearsome reputation dominates the social hierarchy of Halflead Bay. He is fiercely possessive of Alison and relies on physical intimidation to assert his dominance, though his aggressive exterior masks a deeper reluctance and emotional unavailability.

Mayako is a seventeen-year-old Japanese girl evacuated from Hiroshima to the surrounding hills. She displays a deeply innocent worldview, completely absorbing and regurgitating the nationalistic propaganda taught by her instructors. She misses her family terribly and finds herself torn between her father's gentle spiritualism and her older sister's fervent militarism.

Sarah is an American corporate lawyer who quits her job following a painful breakup and travels to Iran. She arrives seeking emotional renewal and distraction, only to find herself dangerously disoriented by a complex political landscape she barely understands. She approaches her journey with a detached naivety that is slowly eroded by the realities of political oppression.

Parvin is an Iranian American dissident and Sarah's childhood friend. She operates a shortwave radio show advocating for women's rights and has returned to Tehran to organize on the ground. She is a passionate, uncompromising activist whose political zeal is deeply intertwined with her personal grief over losing her brothers in the Iran-Iraq War.

Mahmoud is a young Iranian activist acting as Sarah's guide. As the son of a powerful cleric, he despises the religious establishment but recognizes the tactical necessity of using his family's influence to survive. He represents a pragmatic, cautious approach to resistance, frequently opposing Parvin's more provocative strategies.

Mai is a sixteen-year-old Vietnamese refugee enduring a harrowing journey across the South China Sea. Sent away alone by her parents to escape political persecution, she initially observes the crisis with numb detachment. As the voyage becomes increasingly desperate, she discovers a profound capacity for nurturing and resilience while caring for a young boy on the vessel.

Quyen is a fellow refugee fleeing Vietnam with a young boy. She initially projects an aura of calm, practical maternal strength, but the grueling conditions of the voyage gradually strip away her composure. She carries immense internal torment regarding the circumstances of her departure and the heavy sacrifices she has made for her child.

Linda is Nam's girlfriend who offers a critical outside perspective on his life and family dynamics. She challenges his artistic choices and questions the emotional purpose behind the narrative he attempts to craft about his family's past.

Claudia is a young member of Ron's local gang, deeply entrenched in the violent culture of Medellín. She is fiercely loyal to her friends and actively participates in the brutal necessities of their lifestyle, while also demonstrating a protective instinct toward Ron's family.

Luis is a young gang member in Medellín who provides his friends with cinematic fantasies of a better life. He participates in the group's violent operations while clinging to fabricated tales of a distant, peaceful coast.

Zeno is an operative working within the violent structure of Medellín's drug trade. He carries out high-stakes assignments on behalf of his powerful employer.

Olivia is Henry's deceased lover, whom he initially met when she was a teenage model. Her memory completely dominates Henry's consciousness, serving as both his artistic muse and the catalyst for his family's collapse.

Jason is Elise's fiancé and professional manager. He acts as a firm barrier between Elise and her estranged father, absorbing Henry's drunken hostility and efficiently protecting Elise from unwanted emotional interference.

Jacob is Henry's longtime gallerist and confidant. He serves as a practical, grounding presence in Henry's chaotic life, offering blunt advice and acting as a historical bridge to the family Henry left behind.

Dr. Hingess is a gastroenterologist who delivers a grim medical diagnosis to Henry. He is clinical and direct, introducing an undeniable physical reality to Henry's deteriorating state.

Jamie's father is a stoic, traditional man shaped by generations of fishermen. He struggles to communicate his emotions openly, placing heavy expectations of toughness on his sons while quietly managing the crushing burden of his wife's deteriorating health.

Jamie's mother is a resilient but declining presence in the family home. Her worsening condition forces the family to consider relocating, creating an undercurrent of grief and anxiety that deeply impacts her sons' transition into adulthood.

Michael is Jamie's younger brother who watches the family dynamics unfold. He provides quiet support to Jamie as they both navigate the stress of their mother's illness and their father's expectations.

Cale is an older peer of Jamie's who builds his social standing through elaborate, fabricated stories about his past. He serves as an observer of the town's volatile dynamics, representing the community's reliance on myth-making and performative identity.

Lester is Dory Townsend's best friend and social enforcer. He actively works to intimidate Jamie and provoke conflict, operating entirely within the town's toxic social expectations.

Sumi is Mayako's older sister who embodies the fierce nationalism of wartime Japan. She insists on remaining in Hiroshima with the Young Women's Volunteer Corps, believing it is her honorable duty to support the war effort directly rather than seek safety.

Matsuo is Mayako's older brother who serves as a soldier during the war. He is a distant figure in Mayako's memory, representing the harsh reality of family separation.

Mayako's father is a Shinto priest who remains in the city during the evacuation. He imparts a worldview grounded in nature, spirituality, and continuity, offering a gentle contrast to the harsh military ideology dominating his daughter's life.

Mayako's mother is a stoic figure enduring the fragmentation of her family during the war. She gently shields her youngest daughter from the harsh realities of combat deaths while providing tangible mementos to keep their familial bond alive.

Mrs. Sasaki is a teacher at the Buddhist temple where Mayako is evacuated. She enforces rigid wartime discipline and ensures the children completely absorb nationalistic propaganda.

Paul is Sarah's former romantic partner and senior colleague in the United States. The painful dissolution of their relationship drives Sarah to escape to Iran in search of clarity.

Roya is a woman involved in Parvin's political circles in Tehran. Though Sarah initially mistakes her for Parvin's sister, she learns Roya is actually married to Parvin's older brother.

Truong is a quiet, observant six-year-old boy traveling with Quyen. Despite his young age, he carries an air of ancient sorrow, acting as an unlikely vessel for the cultural grief and history of his community. He forms a deep, grounding connection with Mai through the traditional songs he sings.

Anh Phuoc is the respected leader on the refugee boat. He holds the grim responsibility of carefully rationing out the minimal remaining water as disease and thirst spread among the passengers.

Mai's father is a survivor of severe political imprisonment in Vietnam. The physical and psychological destruction he endured forms the catalyst for his family's decision to send Mai away on the boat.

Mai's mother is a resilient woman who secretly arranged her daughter's escape following her husband's return from the reeducation camp. She represents the intense familial sacrifices made to ensure the next generation's survival.