At first glance, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Hong Khaou’s Monsoon (2019) seems generic at best and cliched at worst. The premise is not exactly ‘new’: a man returns back to his home country after years away, struggles with the past, finds love. It is practically age-old, and it has been done to death. But Hong Khaou doesn’t lean in so much to Hollywood sentimentalities, and by doing so, crafts a tender and delicate study of immigration, return and modern day Vietnam.
One of the most instantly recognisable facets of Monsoon is Henry Golding in the lead role of Kit. But it is not Henry Golding as audiences might know him; gone is the bravado and charisma he so effortlessly exudes in Crazy Rich Asians (Jon M. Chu, 2018) and Last Christmas (Paul Feig, 2019). Here, Golding displays quiet vulnerability and unease. There is a completely different dimension to Golding revealed in Khaou’s little masterpiece, a new physicality that transforms him. He’s nearly unrecognisable as the shy and awkward Kit, almost lost in the wealth of information that Khaou packs into a shot, shrunk by the towering apartment blocks and high rises.
In the making of this film, Khaou himself had to return to Vietnam for the first time in thirty years. In doing so, he masters the distinct feeling of ‘return’ expats face in their experiences of their homeland. There is both a familiarity and a distance all at once—Kit moves with ease through the crowded Ho Chi Minh City streets, but always looking, redirecting his gaze, trying to connect his past memories with his present. There’s a noticeable distance between old friends and new acquaintances, constantly separated by a table, a chair.
Though Monsoon is undoubtedly a love story, Lewis (Parker Sawyers) feels like an afterthought, overshadowed and perhaps drowned by the burden of everything Khaou attempts to convey in 85 minutes. That said, Sawyers’ performance is unforgettable, especially in its contrast to Golding’s. If Kit is shy and sensitive, then Lewis bursts on screen with bluster and confidence. They are like oil and water: Kit is the product of forced migration due to the Vietnamese War, Lewis is the son of an American Veteran who served in that same war—“the lost generation” he quips during their first meeting. But as the film develops, it is increasingly hard to discern whether he means Kit and him, or their parents. Although their romance is lukewarm at best, it does act as a bright spark that illuminates the film.
Unfortunately, Monsoon’s contemplative meandering pace lets it down at times, lingering just minutes too long in certain scenes and shots, making it lag slightly mid-film. That said, it is a beautiful film to look at. With muted lighting and pastel colours, Khaou paints a tapestry of urban Vietnam in spring. Even though its beautiful aesthetics cannot support the film entirely, it does serve as a treat for the eyes.
Monsoon is released on DVD and Blu-ray on November 2.
