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You're viewing the Frameline41 (2017) archive held in 2017. Explore this years festival

Love

Directed by Viet Max2015Vietnam105 mins

Lesbian romance hits mainstream Vietnamese cinema with this landmark film, a deceptively sweet love story set in Saigon. Pop music stars Chi Pu and Gil Le play erstwhile childhood classmates who reunite after a decade as they try to pull their careers and family lives together. Prim piano-playing brainiac Nhi and brash tomboy Tu bond over their harassment by a gang of mean girls. When Tu’s brother dies in an accident, driving their father to alcohol and unemployment, the friends must separate. Ten years later, they’re drawn back together by Tu’s determined pursuit of Nhi. Nhi has been carrying on a half-hearted romance with flamboyant rich boy Hoang and struggling to write songs in a three-woman band. Tu and Nhi again bond over their family crises, and Nhi declares her love for Tu to her resentful boyfriend — not realizing that her scandalous words will be shared on social media. Now Nhi and Tu must fight for their love against a society that considers them abnormal.

The first mainstream Vietnamese LGBT film was a quick hit at the box office and won several awards. This sparkling romance takes place in Saigon’s convenience stores, wine bars, and luxury shops. But true happiness is found with understanding family, in pop music competitions, and — most of all — in being able to declare one’s love without fear.

— FRAKO LODEN

Quick links
Director
Viet Max
Year
2015
Country
Vietnam
Running Time
105 mins
Language
Vietnamese
Section
World Cinema