The film subtly contrasts Kit’s generation (the boat people refugees) with the new generation of Vietnamese who have only known peace and economic reform (Đổi Mới). In one poignant scene, a young local asks, “Why did your parents leave?” Kit realizes the horrors of war are ancient history to the young, while for him, they are a living silence.
During his travels, he meets Lewis (Parker Sawyers), an African-American man working in the textile industry. Their romance provides the film with a tender, emotional core, but it also serves as a mirror. While Kit feels alienated, Lewis is navigating his own complexities of being a Black American expatriate in a post-colonial landscape. film monsoon