Song Lang

Romance • NR • Directed by: Leon Le • 102 minutes

Set in 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 Dung (Lien Binh Phat), a tough debt collector for a ruthless loan shark, and linh Phung (V-pop star Isaac), a charismatic young opera singer for a struggling company that performs cai luong, a modern form of traditional Vietnamese folk opera. The two meet when Dung comes to forcefully collect a dept 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 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.