Madame Phung's Last Journey

Tham Nguyen Thi's intriguing documentary offers a view of LGBT life in Vietnam as seen through the eyes of a former monk who sought a new identity as a transgender woman because, in her words, “I saw beautiful fags praying and felt like running away.” Now known as Madame Phung, this remarkable individual is the driving force of a traveling theatrical company that stages revues with a cross-dressing cast at fairgrounds around Vietnam. But the glitter of the onstage world is harshly overshadowed by the difficulties of life on the road—not only the setting up and tearing down of sets, coupled with the long distance traveling, but also in dealing with homophobic Vietnamese (especially in the remote rural sections of the country) and corrupt police officials. Madame Phung also must wrangle a company of performers who stray too often into immature behavior, while struggling with her own concerns about financial stability, and hang-ups about aging (she is 40, but hardly seems like an infirm senior). Effectively exploring contemporary LGBT issues within a still-conservative Asian culture while also offering a rare look at today's non-urban Vietnam, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (P. Hall)