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The Last Journey of Madam Phung

Play trailer The Last Journey of Madam Phung 2014 1h 27m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews 100% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A former monk who became a guiding hand to a group of itinerant performers, Madam Phung worries about what will happen to her troupe when she is gone.

Critics Reviews

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Ben Sachs Chicago Reader 11/12/2015
This is a lively film but also a sad one. Go to Full Review
Helen T. Verongos New York Times 11/11/2015
Nguyen Thi Tham, who wrote, directed and shot the film, followed Madam Phung for a year as she took her brand of transgender glamour to remote provincial fairgrounds filled with villagers. Go to Full Review
Stephanie Zacharek Village Voice 11/10/2015
Tender and low-key ... Go to Full Review
Craig Takeuchi Georgia Straight 08/07/2018
While the pacing lags and the content leans too heavily on everyday banalities, the conflict between acceptance as performers and rejection as individuals provides an intriguing peek at rural Vietnamese society. Go to Full Review
David Noh Film Journal International 11/11/2015
At times like a very skewed La Strada, this doc about some peripatetic and put-upon carny workers sneaks under your skin. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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06/25/2016 Bursts of violence are scattered throughout the film. Yet, they are mostly kept offscreen. That makes Madam Phung's repeated references to authority and religion (in an attempt, I assume, to hold on to some sort of certainty in her mostly uncertain life) feel more chilling than ever. Nonetheless, given the way the filmmaker tilts the camera upward in filming her, it is no dispute where the respect of the film lies. Despite the ups and downs of Phung's life, the filmmaker chooses to set a wandering tone for the film, where periods of observation and contemplation are mixed with Phung's discussion about her upheavals in a matter-of-fact way. This creates both a sense of acceptance and yearning in the audiences. By film's end, even an image of infantile dogs has gained its significance. The film's theme of needing and searching for warmth has resonated, despite the lack of dramatisation. See more 02/06/2015 Raw and tough, with a few bitterly truthful moments which were captured with no frills. Some pretty nice shots too, but always candid. Hat off for the effort of Nguyen Thi Tham and the crew to go through such a journey. See more Read all reviews
The Last Journey of Madam Phung

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A former monk who became a guiding hand to a group of itinerant performers, Madam Phung worries about what will happen to her troupe when she is gone.
Director
Tham Nguyen Thi
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
Vietnamese
Runtime
1h 27m