Cầu vồng không sắc: The old but not faint example of Vietnamese cinema

Cầu vồng không sắc (2015) is a rare Vietnamese film with LGBTQ+ themes released in 2005 that still leaves many torments for viewers every time it is mentioned. Let's find out why even after more than 1 decade, the film still retains its inherent values.

*Articles with spoilers

The love tragedy of two brothers in one family

Cầu vồng không sắc has taken a bolder direction when exploiting the love story of 2 brothers in a family. Hung is adopted, he has feelings for his younger brother Hoang. From here, the film brings to the audience a series of tragedies about youthful love, family affection and gay "disease" only to end with a tearful ending.

The content of the film is somewhat predictable, it will make difficult audiences feel unsatisfied, but for those who are new to the experience, the film is still a perfect choice.

Valuable lesson about love and acceptance

At the core of the Colorless Rainbow is the message of divine love and acceptance. For Hung and Hoang, that kind of love is expressed through happy hugs when lying next to each other or when they both duet at a bar. Both of them have full affection for each other and promise to be together for life. And indeed, after Hung died, Hoang became crazy but in his mind there were still happy moments of two of them. At a time when homosexuality was considered a disease, the two bravely stayed true to themselves.

Familial affection and acceptance are exploited through Mr. Thanh and Mrs. Yen - the father and mother of Hoang and Hung. When he learned that his son was gay, Mr. Qing was calm and gentle, he accepted them unconditionally, but he did not dare to stand up to his wife to protect him. Mrs. Yan is a character that makes viewers both hate and empathize with the mother's pain, the moment she found out he was gay or so agitated that she slapped Hoang and even kicked Hung out of the house made her heart skip a beat. She behaved understandably because she was alone, she had no one to help or guide. Her motherly love for her child was endearing, but unfortunately, she expressed it in the wrong way. She was also the indirect cause of Hung's death and made Huang crazy. Indeed, Yen represents stereotypes against the LGBT+ community. That is also the harsh reality that people in the community experience every day.

Bonus points

It is not without reason that Rainbow Without Color is a civilized, decent film about the LGBTQ+ community. The highlight of the film lies in the fact that the director does not overuse the hot scenes but instead tries to exploit the psychology of character depth. The appeal of Colorless Bridge does not stop there, the construction of the film by a mindful and visionary crew has brought the audience satisfaction in terms of listening and visual. The carefully selected angles and shooting locations contributed to a pleasant experience for viewers. The music of the film performed by the 2 male leads is also invested to the maximum, contributing to pushing the emotions of the audience at the climax. The actors' performances are not too excellent, but they are all at a round-the-shoulder level. In particular, the role of Mrs. Yen through the performance of Ms. Kim Khanh has become closer in the eyes of the audience.

Minus points

Besides the pluses, the Colorless Rainbow still has many shortcomings. The pace of the film is unstable, fast and slow, making the audience tired to keep up with the plot. In addition, the unnecessarily talkative scenes overwhelm other important scenes and the disjointed plot makes viewers sometimes feel confused, contributing to an incomplete movie experience.

The issue of "homosexuality is a disease" is raised and repeated throughout the film but is not fully resolved, mainly supporting the story of Hung and Hoang. Was it the director's and writer's intention to let audiences learn more about LGBT+?

Conclusion

Overall, Rainbow Without Color has all the necessary elements to create a well-thought-out film about the LGBT+ community, but to say it is excellent is not enough. Surely the film will be very suitable for those who are experiencing LGBT+ movies for the first time.

(Photo credit: collectibles)