Mai

Trấn Thành's 2024 Vietnamese film is the story of a woman raising a child alone. Mai works at a massage parlour, has a father in debt, and the people in her building judge her constantly for her work. The relationship that begins between her and Sâu, a wealthy and irresponsible neighbour, is refused by both families. The film treats class difference and a woman's position in society directly, and something in Mai's past that she has told no one shapes the second half. The register is close to melodrama and the feeling is kept high. It broke box office records in Vietnam and reached a wide audience abroad. It is long and the final section arrives on a disputed choice. Who it's for: viewers who like melodrama and Southeast Asian popular cinema. Who it's not for: anyone expecting restraint; the film uses emotion openly.