As a gay Dutch guy who's been living in different parts of Vietnam for 7 years I found this film interesting to watch. It's great that Vietnamese LGBT people are increasingly using film to show the world the beauty of same-sex relationships in their culture. This is greatly needed in a country where the government has very recently been described by HRW as 'not participating in the protection or improvement of LGBT rights'.
The two main actors are stealing the show by putting on a very believable chemistry that is pertained throughout the movie. The rest of the cast all seem a bit clumsy in their roles.
Vietnamese people (still) like to believe in luck to make important life decisions for them rather than push for self-determination. The way that Van 'comes out' is exemplary for that belief. He's being led to coming out by the circumstances instead of taking control and telling his family in an act of love for himself. That's a missed opportunity from my Western standpoint, and also shows the weak position of LGBT in a culture that usually chooses the wishes of the powerful and/or community over the emotions and heartfelt wishes of the individual. That said, the fact that at the end of the movie their relationship is open and accepted is a great thing and left me feeling warm and happy.
For Westerners I recommend watching this film if you have experience with or in Vietnam, or for learning more about the position of LGBT people in this culture. For others the cultural peculiarities may be a bit too boring or hard to understand.
The two main actors are stealing the show by putting on a very believable chemistry that is pertained throughout the movie. The rest of the cast all seem a bit clumsy in their roles.
Vietnamese people (still) like to believe in luck to make important life decisions for them rather than push for self-determination. The way that Van 'comes out' is exemplary for that belief. He's being led to coming out by the circumstances instead of taking control and telling his family in an act of love for himself. That's a missed opportunity from my Western standpoint, and also shows the weak position of LGBT in a culture that usually chooses the wishes of the powerful and/or community over the emotions and heartfelt wishes of the individual. That said, the fact that at the end of the movie their relationship is open and accepted is a great thing and left me feeling warm and happy.
For Westerners I recommend watching this film if you have experience with or in Vietnam, or for learning more about the position of LGBT people in this culture. For others the cultural peculiarities may be a bit too boring or hard to understand.