331. Monsoon; movie review.

 

MONSOON

Cert 12A

85 mins

BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language, moderate sex

Was I missing something during Monsoon?

To me it was a turgid account of a man taking his parents' ashes to their Vietnam homeland, retracing a few of their steps and having a bit of rumpy-pumpy with a stranger. 

Apparently, I need a heart because I didn't find it touching nor enlightening about Vietnamese culture.

Yes, there is discussion about the war which cost so many lives and divided families and friends that is perfunctory.

Hong Khaou’s picture stars Henry Golding as Kit who flies to the country of his birth to scatter the ashes of his mum and dad.

He has only hazy memories of his first childhood years and they are embellished by old friends who welcome him to Saigon.

Meanwhile, he finds a guarded romance with an American  (Parker Sawyers) who has his own complex history.

I have read that Khaou drew from personal experiences for his inspiration for Monsoon, having migrated to Britain as a political refugee at eight years old.

He wanted to show Vietnam in a new light but it would have required a very deep knowledge of the country to have grasped that.

Deeper history needed to be revealed but it wasn't - Kit is uncomfortable in his surroundings, barely more than monosyllabic while meeting local people and not much more when indulging himself with his new-found boyfriend.

The film does touch on the ambitions of the new generation through Linh (Molly Harris) who is reluctant to take over her parents' very traditional lotus tea business.

But, again, understanding her stance requires background I simply didn't possess.

Clearly, I wasn't tuned into Khaou's thinking because Monsoon was among the most tedious 85 minutes I have spent in 2020.

Reasons to watch: If you are in love with Henry Golding

Reasons to avoid: It is turgid

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: Bare bums

Overall rating: 3/10

Did you know? Vietnamese immigration to the United Kingdom started after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 with the UK accepting refugees from Hong Kong, a British colony at the time. Most early immigrants were refugee boat people fleeing persecution by the victorious North Vietnamese communists; the rest were students, academics or business people

The final word. Hong Khaou: "The film isn’t autobiographical, but I think a lot of it is very personal. And there are feelings, things that I care about deeply and I try to make it work in the film. And when you try to do that, there’s room that you have to kind of embellish or exaggerate a bit." CineVue

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