It’s not very often that I have to rave about a Vietnamese movie. This is one of those times. The film Ròm has been a phenomenon in the news lately, breaking box office records and causing quite a bit of controversy. For me, though there are still some clear holes with the plot and character development, the film is a refreshing cinematic masterpiece and certainly deserving of a spot among the all-time greats in Vietnamese cinema history.
Zero Expectations!
To be clear, I am not a cinephile. I don’t follow movie news, and I certainly don’t go to the cinema much at all. When I went to a theatre and picked Ròm, I had not even heard about the film. I only bought the ticket because I had watched too many Western films, and now I just wanted to give Vietnamese cinema a try.
And… oh man, I was completely blown away. It is so refreshing to pick a movie at random and be completely awe-struck and happy with your decision. There are no pressure or expectation at all; you just enjoy the film for what it is.
Ròm tells the story of an orphaned boy named Ròm who works as an illegal bookie (ghi đề) in a run-down apartment building in Saigon. He helps his neighbours pick a lucky number and helps them place bets. If someone picks a two-digit number that matches the official lottery result, they get a 70x return (so a 1 million VND bet becomes 70 million), making it an extremely tempting get-rich-quick opportunity. The film paints a grim picture of the illegal lottery epidemic that ravages many lower-income neighbourhoods in Vietnam.
I picked a seat very close to the screen, which turned out to be a great decision. Since the film takes place in a messy and crowded slum with people constantly moving around, there are often lots of details in a frame — items, clothes, people, small things that are scattered around. Had I been seated a bit farther away, I probably would have missed quite a bit of these little details.
World-Class Cinematography
I was most impressed by the cinematography of the film. Again, I’m not a film critic so I cannot appreciate the finer techniques that the director employed, but it is abundantly clear that the cinematography plays a major role in conveying a gritty, ultra-realistic feel of life in a dilapidated slum in Saigon. The orange-ish hue gives a feel of the sweltering Saigon heat in the crowded neighbourhood.
The jerky and fast-paced close-up shots — reminiscent of a handheld camera — show the hectic life that Ròm is living, as if he never has a chance to experience a sense of belonging and peace. He is constantly on a run, from his neighbours, his rivals, his customers, his fate, and he is always in a brutal race to earn a couple of dollars to survive to the next day. Such is the life of thousands of those lottery boys in Saigon.
As soon as the movie began for a couple of minutes, I was immediately reminded of City of God. I first watched this film over 10 years ago, and it still leaves a deep impression in me. The cinematic style of Ròm has many similarities to City of God, from the chase-style camera shots in narrow alleys, the close-up shots, the orange hue, to the music that sends chills down the audience’s spine. I am certain that Rom‘s maker took inspiration from City of God, and he turned this inspiration into a fantastic piece of unique Vietnamese cinema.
Jaw-Dropping Acting And Message
After the cinematography, I also found myself amazed at the acting of the film. It looks like most of the actors are amateurs and even first-timers. The character of Ròm is actually played by the younger brother of the director.
Every single one of the cast does a phenomenal job. I won’t lie: I have always had a rather negative impression of Vietnamese acting. I grew up watching a lot of Vietnamese films that star actors with a theatre background. They had a tendency to exaggerate their acting, from their facial expressions to how they over-enunciate their lines to make sure the live audience could understand what’s going on. It is very rare that you get genuine and convincing acting from that generation of Vietnamese actors.
The actors for Ròm though? Oh man, I fully thought that they hired an actual orphaned lottery boy to play this part. I have never seen a Vietnamese actor so convincing. And the supporting talent are spot-on with their depiction of the way low-income labourers would talk.
Now, onto the message of the film. This is where it draws so much controversy: the film portrays Vietnamese labourers as being manipulative, selfish, and greedy people who centre their lives around superstition in hope of getting rich from the lottery. You don’t really see anyone other than Ròm work in the film. The neighbours are always seen sitting around praying for lucky numbers, and they get angry and violent when the results come back different from their bets. Everyone is willing to take advantage of one another, to lie, cheat, and steal, to make money.
I can see why many are upset at how the film chooses to portray everyday people in such a negative light. I don’t have first-hand experience with this culture, but I know for certain that superstition is a massive part of Vietnamese life, and that millions of people place these illegal bets every day hoping to become rich overnight. Hence, I don’t think the director has exaggerated anything at all. In his interviews he says that everything in the film has been drawn from his real-life experience. I fully trust that he is honest in showing us audience an accurate picture of life in this corner of the world.
The film makes me think quite a bit about just how superstitious Vietnam still is. Of course I think it’s complete nonsense, but to the vast majority of people, luck is something you have to pray to some kind of god for in order to earn their blessing. If a film makes you think hard about an issue, it has done its job well.
Cheers to Vietnam’s Cinema
Of course there are still issues with this film. It’s too short — 79 minutes, making it really difficult for any meaningful character development. I was dying for more scenes with the two boys, what their backgrounds are like, and why they end up doing what they do. Also, some of the scenes make no logical sense. I could hear a lot of people in the cinema saying “Huh?” due to how confusing it was. Some characters just appear out of nowhere, and some of Ròm’s actions don’t really serve any purpose.
There are rumours that the film has been heavily edited down to pass censorship laws. I don’t know for certain about this, but it would be a shame if it was true. I would love to see the original director’s cut.
But the bottom line is, I was thoroughly impressed with Ròm. It deserves to be named a masterpiece. I have seen some good Vietnamese movies, but they were all “meh” good. Nothing outstanding. Ròm, on the other hand, blows away all my expectations. It gives me a lot of hope for the future of Vietnamese cinema. I will absolutely go see it a second time in the theatre if only just to appreciate the details I might have missed in my first viewing.