MOVIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

SONG LANG

April 3 - 9, 2023

Streaming available for U.S./Canada views at https://watch.eventive.org/apuc16

Vietnam | Drama/LGBTQ Romance | 2018 | 101 minutes

In Vietnamese w/English subtitles

DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER/EDITOR: Leon Le

STARRING: Liên Bỉnh Phát, Isaac

FILM SOURCE: Leon Le

SYNOPSIS

Set in 1980s Saigon, the movie SONG LANG is about Vietnamese modern folk opera, a gritty underworld noir hiding a tender, romantic heart. At the film’s core is the unlikely bond that develops between hunky, brooding Dung (Liên Bỉnh Phát), a tough debt collector for a ruthless loan shark, and Linh Phung (V-pop star Isaac), a charismatic young opera singer for a struggling company that performs Cai Luong, a modern form of traditional Vietnamese folk opera.

The two meet when Dung comes to forcefully collect a debt from the opera troupe, but when their paths cross again, a friendship – and then more – develops, awakening surprising, tender feelings in both men. Their story, too, soon scales operatic heights.

With his first feature film, director Leon Le has delivered a rich drama: a smoldering relationship between two apparent opposites – equally uncompromising – set against the backdrop of a gorgeous, fading art form. 

AWARDS

SONG LANG won 52 awards including the “Best Narrative Feature” at the Seattle Queer Film Festival; the “Grand Jury Best Narrative Feature” at the Seattle Asian American Film Festival; “Best Director” and “Best Supporting Actor” (Issac) at the Vietnam Film Festival (Golden Lotus); and the “Gemstone Award/Rising Star” at the Tokyo International Film Festival.

TRAILER

https://vimeo.com/795637688