Tran Thanh Huy’s debut feature (apparently an expansion of his 16:30/’12), a tricky watch at 79 vibrant/hyperactive minutes, is an impressive, eye-opening peek at a Saigon subculture of young, mostly parentless ‘numbers’ runners on their dangerous daily rounds. Even with a plethora of legal lotteries in modern Vietnam, the old numbers racket remains active as ever, but illegal & played under-the-radar. On his own and living in a hovel (that’s a hovel in the middle of Saigon slums), Rom has a rep for picking ‘winners,’ but he’s long overdue to place his next win and desperate for the share he gets when a bet comes thru. He’s also busy evading authorities and rival runners, particularly slightly older Phúc (pronounced exactly how you think); these two in a symbiotic relationship of mistrust, violence & double-crosses. Huy brings the whole sordid neighborhood, its values, loyalties, mutual suspicions & interpersonal dynamics together while breathlessly following the boys on their mad daily dashes to bring results in, suss out lucky numbers, and get to the nearest betting shed before the day’s betting period wraps. A minute longer and the film would exhaust you (and itself), but once you find the rhythm of the thing, it's upliftingly tragic, like Italian Neo-Realism on speed. Reactions really split over this one, love it or hate it; it’s the real deal. And who knows when (or if) Huy will get another chance? So, give it 79 minutes. Just be prepared to race-read those fast moving subtitles!
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Hang on thru the closing credits for something of a wordless epilogue, elegantly told thru museum quality still shots. A neat decompression after the film’s ADHD editing style, and showing impressive range from Tran Thanh Huy.
DOOUBLE-BILL/LINK: Mira Nair’s debut SALAAM BOMBAY!/’88 inspired lots of Kids-On-The-Street films, many of them debuts. This LINK brings up a few likely viewing options. https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/search?q=salaam+bombay
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