Goodbye Mother

If you asked me what it's like being gay in Vietnam, especially in a rural area, I'll ask you back if you could have one hour and a half to watch this movie to be fully acknowledged of it.

The film did a wonderful job of delivering realistic cultural facts in Vietnam by portraying normal life in the countryside of a family, where there is one homosexual grandson.

A little bit of background for you guys who are unfamiliar with the situation here: The deceased father of the main character (Nau/Van) is the first son of the family, and Nau is the only child of his parents. In Vietnamese culture (I would say inherited from Chinese culture, but that's a different story) it is assumed that he plays an important role in maintaining the bloodline and stuff. The tradition is even more conserved, as one lives in a rural area. So it is even more challenging for one in such situations to come out than it is already.

You may find yourself failing to understand some of the scenes: one being forced to drink beers together, being forced to touch a girl's thigh, a group of women appearing out of nowhere and yelling aggressively. That is just how things happen in Vietnam. I, as a Vietnamese, have been dragged into these situations many times.

The acting was, by the way, good and emotionally correct, the mom made me miss my mom, the grandma made me miss my grandma, and the aunties also made me miss my aunties. And the choice of 2 young new actors to play the 2 main characters was somewhat fit, their unskilled performance fits with how dull and goofy the foreigners are supposed to be when they come to Vietnam.

Throughout 2 hours of watching this, I have a compliment for the screenwriter to have actual research, finding and was able to give out such a realistic painting of what's going on in VNese gay people's lives. The story was a tad slow since it revolved around a big family and all kind of things happen in a big family. The acting skills of the two male characters was a bit inferior compared to the other actors and actresses, and it could be forgiven since it's their debut product. What makes the film so captivating is definitely the chemistry between Ian and Van, Van and his mother, it feels like they are immersing in their own role, just watch it and you will see what i'm trying to deliver here, thanks for reading this.

A funny and touching film, one of the best Vietnamese movies.

This movie was simply perfect. From the acting to the storytelling. It was funny, heartwarming and emotional. The chemistry between Ian and Van was amazing. The grandmother was so adorable and I loved that out of everyone who were apart of the younger generation, the grandmother was the most accepting of her grandson. I think this has become my favorite film.

This is What I call a great script, incredible story and a great Direction! The Acting was great, Believable and the landscapes of the Movie itself gave an unforgettable experience of 2 young gay man that loved each other deeply! What a pleasant time to view and even full of drama in A poor Vietnam still full of prejudices and Tradition. The Mother's Acting was so inspiring where Director showed what a real mother should feel about his son no matter what his sexual orientation is and also shows a sweet Mother that can forgive everything for unconditional love! Now the Acting of The Grandmother brought a lot of spice and cute situations that made the movie even better!