By Vania Castro
Rating: 4/5
“Monsoon” is a thought-provoking film that captures the common experiences many Asian-American immigrants have with cultural confusion. It tells a story of separation between the culture of the place one resides in and the culture of one’s place of birth.
The movie stars Henry Golding as the film’s protagonist, Kit, a gay British-Vietnamese man who fled Vietnam at the age of 6 during the Vietnam War. After several decades, he returns to scatter the ashes of his parents in their home country.
The film starts out slowly with minimal dialogue and cuts. You feel like you’re there with Kit as he uneasily takes in what everyday life is like in Vietnam. While there, Kit reconnects with an old childhood friend, Lee, with whom he fondly recalls memories. When a relative or friend moves away and returns after several years, it’s only normal that conversations are awkward and don’t flow smoothly. The film effectively portrays this disconnect.
Kit also meets an American man named Lewis (Parker Sawyers), and they instantly are attracted to each other. Their relationship develops with every scene they appear in, both in their casual conversations over beer and the smattering of intimate moments they share. Throughout the film, Kit and Lewis seem to bring each other comfort and companionship.
The director of the movie, Hong Khaou, did well in having them share lots of scenes without letting their romance dominate the narrative. There is a good balance of focus between their relationship and Kit’s explorations in the cities of Vietnam.
The movie touches on the devastation the war had on Vietnam and its citizens through the different characters Kit interacts with. For example, Kit learns, for the first time, how difficult it was for his parents to escape from Vietnam. These consequences stuck with me and made me realize how the effects of war trickle down to younger generations.
Overall, the cast played their parts excellently, but Golding’s and Sawyers’ performances were especially commendable. Their roles were important, and they did their respective characters justice.
Finally, Kit’s purpose in being in Vietnam was to find a resting place for his parents’ ashes, but the film’s conclusion was ambiguous, perhaps to leave room for the audience members to interpret it however they understood it.
The movie may not be for viewers who want a solid conclusion in which all questions are answered. Nevertheless, it was definitely an interesting and eye-opening watch, the kind of movie that could get you to reflect on your own culture.