Vietnam2019105 minVietnamese with English subtitlesCanadian PremiereDrama, Family, LGBTQ+ Filmmakers, Open Captions
Son of a prominent family in Vietnam, Van returns from America for the first time in nine years with his partner, Ian. Coming back to a community with expectations of patriarchy and legacy, Van tries to find the right moment to tell his mother, Mrs. Hanh, about his love for Ian. With the heir unable to bear children, the family fights over their inheritance, surmounting to a violent reveal of truths. Everybody has a secret. An intricately assembled ensemble, Goodbye Mother is a queer story and more.
Director Trinh Dinh Le Minh portrays characters with dignity in this uplifting story, providing positive resolution to otherwise challenging conversations within the Asian family dynamic. Paired with colour palettes that lends itself to the beautiful scenery of Vietnam, the portrayal of queer lovers making plans for the future provides an enriched leading story that normalizes queer Asian narratives in cinema.
– Bertha Lee
Hong Dao
Lanh Thanh
Vo Dien Gia Huy
OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
Busan International Film Festival, 2019
Hawai’i International Film Festival, 2019
&PROUD Yangon LGBT Film Festival, 2020
Trinh Dinh Le Minh
Trinh Dinh Le Minh is an emerging director from Vietnam. His narrative short The Scent of Fish Sauce has travelled to film festivals including Palm Springs International Film Festival, the BFI London Film Festival and the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. He is also an alumni of Berlinale Talents and Talents Tokyo.
12 Nov, 2020 10:00 am
to 19 Nov, 2020 11:59 pm
14A
CW: Mild violence against queer person, Gay slur
ASL interpretation will be made available thanks to Toronto Sign Language Interpreter Services. Ticket holders can watch on the CineSend Reel Asian portal.
November 15, 2020 at 8PM
A cowardly horse robbery ends in murder, leaving a boy fatherless and his family in disarray. When the boy’s mother is forced to move the family out of their village, a mysterious man arrives who might be able to help restore order. What may appear to us as a “Western,” with its familiar framing of vast vistas and sublime steppes, is really a story about fractured families and survival in the wake of violence.
Each of these extraordinary films call upon the act of remembrance as important and timely work for community care, knowledge, and abundance. Includes winners of Air Canada Short Film or Video Award, Reel Asian 2020 I BOUGHT A TIME MACHINE and I DREAM OF VANCOUVER.
Catch Oliver Husain's Lenticular Lencture this year at the festival, featuring a digital installation of "French Exit" and an artist talk.
Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival is a unique showcase of contemporary Asian cinema and work from Asia and the Asian diaspora. Works include films and videos by artists in Canada, the U.S., Asia and all over the world. As Canada’s largest pan-Asian film festival, Reel Asian provides a public forum for Asian media artists and their work, and fuels the growing appreciation for Asian cinema in Canada.
401 Richmond Street West, The Commons (Suite 448)
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8 Canada
(416) 703 – 9333
info@reelasian.com
Charitable number: 870021383RR0001
