One of the most recurring themes in literature as well as movies is the clash between dreamers and pragmatists. Moving into one of the world's biggest and busiest cities in the world, especially in the United States, in the hopes of making your dream come true, is often followed by a rather nasty wake-up call upon realizing only a few have the power to make it. Perhaps it is due to the success of features such as Damien Chazelle's “La La Land” that this theme has experienced something of a comeback lately, with Vietnamese director Le Minh Hoang's “Saigon in the Rain” being the latest story making the aforementioned conflict its core.
Saigon in the Rain is screening at Viet Film Fest
At the beginning of the story, we meet Vu (Avin Lu), a talented musician, who has moved to Saigon in hopes of making a living with his music and as a member of a band. In the months following his arrival in the city, he has managed to become a part of a group led by Trang (Truc Anh), who is eager to turn the band into a success, accepting all kinds of jobs, from playing at a weekend market to wedding celebrations, in order to perfect their skills on stage. Ultimately, an audition for a TV format (similar to “America's Got Talent”) should bring the much hoped-for success, while Vu is more eager to practice his songwriting skills on his own and receiving some kind of feedback from his fellow band members.
Afterwards, at a wedding, he meets May (Thu Anh Ho), who runs a small clothing store and tries her best to make ends meet. Coming from a small town, she longs to earn money to support her family, especially her mother, whos s gravely ill. Because she is more experienced in the ways of the big city, Vu decides to cling on to her, becomes her assistant and gets to know Saigon's best restaurants and cafes. Little by little, he also becomes attracted to May, who encourages him to believe in himself and be more confident in his writing. However, as Vu and his band fail to leave an impression with the TV show's jury, his dream of becoming a successful musician is at risk. Meanwhile, May's world is about to collapse as well.
While there are certainly musical elements in Le Minh Hoang's feature, “Saigon in the Rain”, despite making numerous references to the genre itself, is more in line with the Hollywood rom-com. Given its theme of dreams and reality, its story about the conflict of romance and one's dream is the same kind of modern fairy tale audiences have grown to love (and dread) over time, even though its leads, Avin Lau and Thu Anh Ho, do their best with the material they are given. Aside from their chemistry, both actors maneuver eloquently and elegantly through the various romantic and comedic scenes, with Lau portraying the stuttering, but talented loner, whereas Ho essentially plays a woman whose dopes and dreams have clashed with reality once too often.
Another star of “Saigon in the Rain” is the city of Saigon itself. With the unavoidable montage showing various impressions of the city, its busy streets and especially its nightlife, these neon-dipped images fit right into the rom-com format. Everything in “Saigon in the Rain” walks a fine line between the heightened reality of the dream and the sobering light of reality setting in, which still makes for a solid film, but does not have much new to offer.
In the end, “Saigon in the Rain” is a romantic comedy about the clash of dream and reality. While its cast give solid performances, Le Minh Hoang's feature most certainly does not do anything new with the genre, its themes and tropes.