SONG LANG

Set in a richly imagined 1980s Saigon, SONG LANG is a gritty underworld noir hiding a tender, romantic heart. At the film’s core is the unlikely bond that develops between hunky, brooding Dũng (V-pop star Isaac), a tough debt collector for a ruthless loan shark, and Linh Phụng (Liên Bỉnh Phát), a charismatic young opera singer for a struggling company that performs cải lương, a modern form of traditional Vietnamese folk opera.

The two meet when Dũng comes to forcefully collect a debt from the opera troupe, but when their paths cross again, a friendship—and then more—develops, awakening surprising, tender feelings in both men. Their story, too, soon scales operatic heights. With his first feature film, director Leon Le has delivered a rich drama: a smoldering relationship between two apparent opposites—equally uncompromising—set against the backdrop of a gorgeous, fading art form.

Content warning: Depictions of violence.

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