Film

Monsoon

Name: Monsoon
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 2020
Cast: Henry Golding, Parker Sawyers, David Tran, Molly Harris, Ho Nhi

Other titles called Monsoon: the 2015 film.

Drama
Slow-burning

A British-Vietnamese man returns to Vietnam for the first time in three decades to scatter his parents' ashes, only to find himself adrift between two worlds. Quiet and deliberately paced, it's a meditation on displacement, grief, and belonging—less plot than mood. For anyone who's felt caught between cultures or struggled to connect with where they're from.

TMDb rating

2.8

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The Farewell2019

A Chinese-American woman navigates family, mortality, and cultural difference with warmth and wit. Like Monsoon, it explores what home means when you've been away too long, but with more humour and heart.

But The tonal shifts between comedy and melancholy can feel abrupt if you're not expecting them. Some find the pacing slow.

Minari2021

A Korean-American family chases the American dream in rural Arkansas, wrestling with identity and belonging. Gorgeous cinematography and genuine emotional weight—it understands displacement without needing to explain it.

But Very quiet and introspective. If you want plot momentum or clear conflict, you'll be disappointed.

Call Me by Your Name2017

A summer romance in Italy that's really about longing, self-discovery, and the ache of temporary connection. Sensual and introspective, with Guadagnino's languid direction letting emotion breathe.

But The pacing is molasses-slow. Some viewers find it self-indulgent, and the age gap between characters makes some uncomfortable.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Monsoon

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Chungking Express1994

Both use their setting—Vietnam for Kit, Hong Kong for the lovers—as a place of beautiful alienation. Visual richness substitutes for dialogue. The city is where you're most alone.

Wong Kar-wai's fragmented love story set in Hong Kong's neon-soaked streets. The connection: both films use their setting as a character, employing visual density and silence to explore disconnection and the search for connection in cities that feel foreign.

But The editing is frenetic and the story deliberately fragmented. If you want narrative clarity, you'll be lost.

A Ghost Story2017

A meditation on time, loss, and what we leave behind. Like Monsoon, it's formally strange and patient—it trusts you to sit with confusion and sadness without rushing to resolve them.

But The concept (a ghost in a sheet) sounds gimmicky. The actual film is experimental and may feel pretentious or impenetrable.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire2019

A French painter and her subject develop an intimate connection over the course of a commission. Achingly romantic and visually stunning, with real tenderness and unresolved longing.

But Character-driven and contemplative rather than plot-heavy. The ending offers no closure, which bothers some viewers.

Mulholland Drive2001

Lynch's L.A. nightmare explores identity, displacement, and dreams versus reality. Formally bold and genuinely unsettling, it rewards patience and repeat viewings.

But Deliberately confusing and three hours long. It doesn't explain itself, and some find that maddening rather than rewarding.

Shoplifters2018

A makeshift family in Tokyo sustains itself through petty theft and intimacy. Hirokazu Koreeda's humanistic direction finds grace in precarious lives and bonds that aren't biological.

But The narrative wanders. Some of the emotional beats land as sentimental rather than earned.

The Salt of Life2011

Both centre on a solitary protagonist moving through space while processing grief and identity. Both use landscape and urban texture as emotional language. Both suggest that meaning comes from small moments of connection, not grand revelation.

Paolo Sorrentino's film about an aging man reflecting on desire, mortality, and the life he's lived. Formally playful and melancholic, it observes human connection with generosity and wit.

But It's an Italian art film about an old man's regrets—not exactly a crowdpleaser. The tone is deliberately detached.

The Son2022

Like Monsoon, it's about the parent-child relationship and the weight of what goes unsaid. Both films understand that some journeys end not in answers but in acceptance. Both are formally restrained in ways that intensify emotional impact.

Florian Zeller's chamber piece about a father, son, and the crisis that binds them. Formally inventive—time collapses and shifts—it's devastatingly intimate about the things we fail to say to each other.

But It's claustrophobic and deeply uncomfortable. The film doesn't offer easy catharsis, and some find the ending unbearably bleak.