Ky Nam Inn

Italian Premiere | In Competition | Online

 

Vietnam, 2025, 140’, Vietnamese

Directed by: Leon Lê
Screenplay: Leon Lê, Nguyễn Thị Minh Ngọc
Cinematography (color): Bob Nguyễn
Editing: Leon Lê
Production Design: Lã Quý Tùng
Music: Tôn Thất An
Producers: Leon Lê, Vũ Thành Luân
Cast: Liên Bỉnh Phát (Khang), Đỗ Thị Hải Yến (Kỳ Nam), Trần Thế Mạnh (Su), Ngô Hồng Ngọc (Luyến), Lê Văn Thân (Mr. Hạo), Lý Kiều Hạnh (Ms. Bằng)

Date of First Release in Territory: November 28th, 2025

Not long after the film’s premiere screening, a friend texted me if it felt great seeing myself on screen. He was referencing the fact that the leading man’s occupation was similar to mine: artful translation. If only I could also share more similarities like that jawline... or that reality of being adored by the epitome of luxe personified...

However, in more ways than one, Ky Nam Inn is so much more about what can meet the eyes. As with Song Lang, Leon Le and company suggest that while “sight” provides the means to recognize portals – toward a truth, another’s heart, a lifelong goal, so on – only “feel” supplies the reason to reach and cross them. Such an education awaits the characters and the viewers here, in this gorgeous revival of Saigon in the ‘80s, or just mere years into the country’s new era of independence and peace. There will be more than just “the mood for love” being brewed when translator Khang (Liên Bỉnh Phát) becomes the neighbor of the culinarian widow Kỳ Nam (Đỗ Thị Hải Yến, returning to the screens after a 10-year break). There will also be a gentleman discovering how words can also build keys and bridges. There will also be a gentlewoman becoming more aware that every soul can be rekindled.

So, to “feel” (and then see more), try to also watch Ky Nam Inn with your ears. This might be one of the precious few Vietnamese films that has me doing this voluntarily – almost always compelled to. This would be the result of me knowing the soundscape (tuned up by the crew at Sigon Sound Production) will be of the inviting rather than overloading kind. But for those who have actually lived here in the ‘80s, and even early ‘90s, it’s a warm hug from the past. The songs Mr. Hạo (Lê Văn Thân) listens to, although banned at the time, have great lyrics that make perfect substitutes or complements for the most romantic of expressions. The hawking of vendors that, when inquiring scraps or offering drinks, is disruptive but memorable – and is a great reminder of the days when you must meet an actual face to make some sort of connection. All in all, the film’s aural treats keep the setting lively, even when the visuals are approaching static to dip into the latest gossips from both Ms. Bằng (Lý Kiều Hạnh, a noted cải lương artist) and young tailor Luyến (Ngô Hồng Ngọc), to check on teen Su (Trần Thế Mạnh) and his constant search for normalcy as a biracial Vietnamese, or to simply present more of Saigon on handsome 35mm from Kodak.

Despite many adoring eyes and appreciative hearts at home and abroad, Ky Nam Inn wasn’t a hit, scoring 5.2 billion VND (197 thousand USD) after its entire theatrical run in a market hungering for the latest 100 billion VND film – or the first 1 trillion VND one (as the war drama Red Rain (Mưa đỏ) came close to getting). But in choosing to see more, perhaps you’ll notice that the film has both traveled further and made a stronger impression than most local big scorers. As Leon himself said “My film was a loss because I didn’t make a commercial film. That said, I’m proud of the cultural value that the film contributed to. Song Lang before was also a commercial failure, but eight years later it’d still be shown in film festivals and universities, then becoming a ‘classic’ of Vietnamese cinema. I don’t need any pity from people, as I know why I want to make films. Had I wanted to score 500 billion VND, I’d have shot something different.”

Might that be an argument to say “Ky Nam Inn is not a picture to see, but to feel”? Yes. Yes, I’d like to think so.


Leon Lê

Director, writer, producer and editor, Leon Lê began his filmmaking career with the short films Dawn (2012) and Talking to My Mother (2015), both of which explored themes of race and sexual orientation through distinctly Asian perspectives. These shorts were selected by over 100 festivals worldwide and earned multiple accolades.

SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY

2018 – Song Lang
2025 – Ky Nam Inn