The joys of being in Vietnam? You get Vietnamese Netflix. And that meant I could watch a film like Goodbye Mother. I really wasn’t expecting much, just a quiet evening in my gorgeous Airbnb in Hanoi, but then this film completely moved me. It was gentle, tender, and full of such quiet beauty. The performances were delicate and full of warmth. It honestly felt like one of those subtle moments that leave a deep mark. One of those quiet turning points in your cinematic life.

It’s a stunning directorial debut, full of restraint and care. There was so much to unpack: familial expectation, grief, queerness, cultural silence, the ache of longing, the bravery of being seen. It’s a film that doesn’t scream, yet it’s heard.

And of course, as the universe would have it, just days after watching it, I was somehow thrown into the director’s path. I ended up having lunch with Trịnh Đình Lê Minh in this amazing vegan spot in Saigon, and he was just so lovely. Smart, soft-spoken, academic. We talked about the film and how much he loved making it, and when I asked him, “What’s next?” he said, Vietnamese Magic Mike. I mean, WHAT. I instantly said, “Let me produce this!”

He’s definitely a director to watch out for.