Henry Golding, the star of Crazy Rich Asians, is back on the screen in Monsoon, directed by Hong Khaou. Golding plays Kit, a young man in search of his roots. After the Vietnam War, his family fled Saigon, jumping from country to country before eventually settling in London, where he grew up. Like many of those who were displaced, Kit doesn’t remember much about his first home, and his parents died before they had a chance to go back. Returning to Vietnam, Kit feels overwhelming recognition, but also estrangement. Some locals resent him for his parent’s choice; others make it clear that he is not one of them. Unfolding slowly, poetically, the movie reflects on cultural dislocation, and is sensitive to the experience of the Vietnamese people as a whole. —E.C.
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler