Film Forum

Hong Khaou’s MONSOON centers on Kit (CRAZY RICH ASIANS breakout star Henry Golding), as he returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since his family fled the aftermath of the Vietnam-American War when he was six years old. As he seeks a meaningful place to scatter his parents' ashes, he finds himself struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with.  His journey brings him romance with an American ex-pat (Parker Sawyers, a young Barack Obama in SOUTHSIDE WITH YOU) whose father fought in the war and an illuminating friendship with a vibrant young local student (Molly Harris). Through these relationships, he rekindles a connection with his estranged family and homeland.  MONSOON is a rich and poignant reflection on the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present.

Presented with support from the R.G. Rifkind Foundation Endowment for Queer Cinema.

UK    2020    85 MINS.    IN ENGLISH AND VIETNAMESE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES    STRAND RELEASING

Reviews

“A touching, thoughtful and gorgeously shot piece of work. Vietnam has rarely been captured so evocatively on screen.”
– Demetrios Matheou, Screen International

“A graceful and truthfully irresolute investigation into the strange, often poignantly unreciprocated relationship that many first- and second-generation emigrants have with the far-off foreign country of the past.”
– Jessica Kiang, Variety

“An intimate drama of surprising depth.”
– Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

"A thoughtful, deeply felt movie of great sweetness.”
– Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian