OVID.tv Film Explores The Story Of A Cultural Tradition
Director Nguyen Thi Tham remembers faires from her childhood, filled with colorful women, loud singing, and fast-paced gambling at stalls. Now, as an adult and a filmmaker, she returns to travel with Madam Phung’s troupe to several towns in rural Vietnam. She follows Madam Phung herself, as she grapples with her own gender identity, aging, and future—all while providing guidance to the band of misfits that make up her faire.
Madam Phung’s Last Journey is a dichotomous documentation of the lives of transgender women and drag queens in Vietnam. For many queer and transgender people in Vietnam, the only option to make a living is to join a performance troupe. In order to live as their true selves, those within Madam Phung’s troupe have run away from their families, mirroring Madam Phung’s own story. Life on a fairground provides stability, friendship, family, and fun for these gay and transgender individuals— but it is also riddled with violence, addiction, hardship, and poverty.
