Two coal miners begin a secret affair in this provocative drama that’s already been banned in Vietnam
Viet And Nam, certainly fits the bill.From Vietnamese writer-director Truong Minh Quy, the 2001-set film centers on Viet (Dao Duy Bao Dinh) and Nam (Pham Thanh Hai), two young, rural coal miners who fall in love in spite of the dangerous conditions of their job—and the fact others would surely disapprove of their relationship..Still, they grab whatever fleeting moments they can with one another in the darkness of the mines, some 1,000 feet below the surface (quite the metaphor for closeted queer relationships, eh?), especially because they know their romance has an expiration date….
Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.That’s because Nam has arranged plans to soon have himself smuggled out of the country, against Viet’s better judgment.
But he has some unfinished business to attend to first—solving the mystery of his father’s death, a former North Vietnamese soldier.This summer’s ‘Fire Island‘ marks a growing trend for queer Asian representation in Hollywood.
Joel Kim Booster, Margaret Cho, Conrad Ricamora, and others tell what it’s like on the inside.Minh Quy’s film divides itself into to halves: The first is largely concerned with the clandestine affair between the two young men, while the second finds them traveling to near the Cambodian border, in search of Nam’s father’s remains, joined by his mother Hoa (Nguyen Thi Nga) and army veteran Ba (Le Viet Tung).So, yes, Viet And Nam certainly has plenty on its mind—from environmental issues to the harsh realities of immigration to the lasting impacts of war—but also reportedly features very “frank” depictions of gay sex.
