‘Mai’ (2024) Review: What Happens Tomorrow When The Past Meets The Present?

This movie was a box office hit in Vietnam and just made its grand entrance in North America. The narrative of Mai, a Vietnamese woman who has faced numerous challenges in life, is told in this Vietnamese film directed by comedian Trấn Thành. On moving into a new apartment complex, she befriends Sau, her playboy neighbour. The film takes the audience on a trip filled with reasonable humour, misery, and an unexpected end as they happen to keep running into each other.

The storyline is definitely cliché- Rich playboy meets good girl. The drama that unfolds after that is interesting to watch. The different layers of emotions embodied during the complex scenes depicting the past and the present, culminating in the importance of life after an incredible love story, is enigmatic, to say the least.  The first half’s colour grading and cinematography are reminiscent of Wong Kar-wai movies, while the second half’s colour schemes are more in line with other contemporary Vietnamese theatrical releases and transition to darker, cooler tones.

Actress Phương Anh Đào plays the protagonist Mai, alongside actor Tuấn Trần who embodies the role of Sau. The film delves into the psyche of Mai, a thirty-something-old massage therapist. Reluctantly becoming friends with the much younger, music-loving local ladies’ man, who happens to fancy her, Mai, who is restlessly tormented by the past, is welcomed by a fresh dawn. But what will happen to her tomorrow when her past catches up with her present?

This movie also highlighted how the career of a massage therapist, especially one catering to male clients, is perceived by society. The nature of the job, even though the protagonist is an honest woman, fantastically depicts the corruption involved in the workplace in the world of massages.

Mai is the first film to reach the 500B VND mark in Vietnam and did so in under four weeks. Director Trấn Thành now boasts the Top 3 highest-grossing films in the growing market. With the new milestone, Trấn Thành has become the first Vietnamese director whose career has garnered a total revenue of over VND1 trillion.

The film was welcomed with mixed reviews by the North American audience. While some enjoyed it owing to the unexpected plot twists, the Vietnamese culture portrayal, the art direction and the steamy scenes, the other half just found a lot of scenes unnecessary and borderline violent. Also, over 2 hours? It could have wrapped up a bit earlier surely.

But, all in all, I predicted the ending, however, was pleasantly surprised by the normalcy of its portrayal. The style of art directing was definitely at its finest. With expected but not overly dramatic story developments, the plotline strikes the ideal mix between being simple to understand and entertaining. The narrative occasionally has humorous or poignant passages. The visuals and chemistry between the main leads rule the film. The movie also features Vietnamese-American Hollywood actress Hong Dao, known for her role in Ali Wong’s multiple Emmy-award winning series BEEF.

Watch it, for the representation of the strength of this woman called Mai, who endured unimaginable sufferings and yet made the best of her circumstances.

Release Date: 2024-02-10 (Vietnam) 2024-03-22 (North America)				Distributor(s): 3388 Films
Cast: Phương Anh Đào, Tuấn Trần, Hong Dao				Producers: Trấn Thành Town and CJ HK Entertainment
Director: Trấn Thành				Screenplay: Trấn Thành
Runtime: 130 Minutes				Genres: Drama