Story: Kit, a British Vietnamese man, returns to Saigon for the first time in over 30 years, after fleeing during the Vietnam-American War.
Monsoon is a quiet, reflective, personal, uncomplicated, angsty, and melancholic drama driven by the charismatic Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians). Watching this I got some Lost In Translation vibes, only less visually dreamy. A story about a man traveling back to his childhood home after the death of a loved one while visiting long lost family members.
Henry Golding is quite good in this serious tale. The man has proved time again he has talent but here he gets to explore himself as an actor and carry a whole film on his back. There's a lot of side characters but the focus is completely on him. Parker Sawyers (Southside With You) plays an American with whom Henry falls for eventually and both of them have solid chemistry which makes their scenes together pleasing.
Not much happens in this story. There's no external conflict. No real menace. Everything is straightforward. Just a guy walking around meeting different people. Which in a way makes this refreshing as there are no unnecessary cliché subplots to drag the story. The editing is tight and this is fairly shorter than I imagined. Lasting only an hour and twenty-five minutes.
I loved the way Vietnam is put on display. It's like traveling to another country from my tv screen. The way this culture is shown is nothing short of amazing. The similarities and differences. The poverty and solidarity.
I recommend this mostly if you're a patient viewer. There's no exhilarating payoff. No big-budget action. No twist at the end. This is as simple as movies get. If you've seen Master Of None or Lilting then you just might enjoy this.
Watch the trailer:
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