As you walk through Saigon, it won't be long before you take a turn that will lead you down narrow and densely populated alleyways. In these alleyways, you will see hundreds of birdcages, shrines, stalls, animals, and people, with a roof of entwined cables draped above you- Vietnam's notoriously gritty street bunting. This post will review the newly released Vietnamese film Ròm, which is set in the heart of these streets, chronicling the underprivileged residents of Saigon.
Ròm was released in 2019 and is the first movie by Vietnamese director Tran Dung Thanh Huy. The film follows protagonist Ròm (played by Vietnamese actor Tran Anh Khoa), an orphaned street kid who, as means of both survival and a way to save enough money to find his family, sells "lo de", an illegal form of lottery in Vietnam. Ròm offers up ‘lucky numbers’ to place bets on, in the hope that he will receive a cut of local gambling residents' winnings if his numbers succeed. The film intimately portrays the daily lives of the underprivileged residents of Saigon, who gamble on the hope of a better life. However, the film shows that gambling on hope can lead to a destitute of fortune.
Ròm is a film that showcases an unconventional choice of theme, with its central theme sharing an insight into the illegal gambling culture in Vietnam. Other themes examined are the archaic and superstitious cultural beliefs of fate and fortune, and social inequality, with street kids shown fighting for survival in the shadows of the city. In 2019, Ròm was fined VND40 million ($1,730) after entering Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea without acquiring a domestic screening license. The movie's producers wrote to the Busan festival organizers, asking that it be withdrawn after Vietnamese cinema authorities said it had not been certified by the local censor board. However, the festival organizing board decided to screen the movie anyway, and award it the New Currents prize. The movie gained a license to be screened in domestic cinemas in late March after the national film evaluation council told producers to edit and cut specific scenes that portrayed a negative depiction of Vietnam.
Ròm showcases unnerving cinematography, resembling aspects from films such as Kes, City of God, La Haine, and Slumdog Millionaire, coming under the genres of social realism and crime drama. Director Tran Dung Thanh Huy made incredibly authentic and unconventional cinematic choices throughout the film. Impactful cinematic devices were used such as the Dutch tilt, symbolising a constantly destabilising situation, and long takes were shot, that made you feel like you were running alongside Ròm as he climbed over roofs, through alleys, and under gates at such an alarming speed that gives the viewer an extreme adrenaline rush. Certain scenes also echoed Steve McQueen's style of filming, placing the viewer in an uncomfortable moment, and making them stay there. One scene in a graveyard had me looking away from the screen, waiting for it to end, to look back and still be there, moving me closer to Ròm and really making me feel his claustrophobia and despair.
One of the most impressive things about the film is that the film managed to veer away from expected stereotypes and narrative decisions, making it consistently impactful and authentic. This film is riveting, I could not take my eyes off the screen. Between the authenticity of the narrative, the high-speed of the film's pace, and the raw and gritty acting, this film is one that felt like it ended too soon.
As lyrics about chasing life are heard booming from the streets, a sensitive and heartbreaking scene of both Ròm and "enemy", Phuc (played by Vietnamese actor Anh Tu Wilson), share their dreams of what their lives could be, if fate had been different. The next scene is a chase scene, showing both artist and dancer split and follow their own path, but both paths lead to each other, symbolising the cyclical effect of the socio-economic position they exist within as street kids. Although they both spend their lives hoping to chase a dream of a better life, with only hope and no fortune, they are offered no other direction.
When I was in Saigon sipping beer at a street vendor's stall, I saw two street kids no older than 7 run wildly between motorbikes sucking diesel from a pipe and lighting fire into the sky over and over again, in the hope that their performance would collect a few pennies from its observers. One scene of the film shows the detrimental effects of Ròm playing with fire, and I shed a few tears watching his utter helplessness as the flames blazed around him, thinking of the two children I had witnessed in Saigon. This is a real issue that is being depicted in such an authentic, raw, and captivating way by the incredibly talented director and deserves global recognition. I hope that this film ignites a fire in your heart, as it did in mine to fight for a world with less inequality, where one does not have to gamble their way to achieve a life worth living.
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