Feb 10
Grass in the wind, May 2021
seen from South Korea
seen from Philippines
seen from China
seen from Japan
seen from Türkiye
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Russia
seen from South Korea
seen from Türkiye
seen from Spain
seen from Russia
seen from India
seen from Tunisia
seen from Australia
seen from South Korea
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
Grass in the wind, May 2021
Spring Will Come
When I met Ly, she had only ever had boyfriends. A lot of boyfriends. I had to convince her I was better than all the boys.
𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧.
𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰- 𝐀𝐟𝐭e𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬, 𝐋𝐞𝐱 𝐋𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫, 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐮𝐨𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐤 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐱. 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐢𝐭?
𝐀𝐥𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲! 𝐋𝐞𝐱 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐬 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧! 𝐈 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧! (𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢 𝐚𝐦 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝.)
𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠- 𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐞!
𝐋𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟𝐟 𝐨𝐟 “𝐃𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐈𝐧“ 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐇𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 :𝐝
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
“What is it?” Clark asks Luthor, “What do we have to do to get out here?”
You don’t quite understand how you got in this situation.
Lex Luthor, being the absolute evil man he is, kidnapped you as soon as he found out Superman was dating you. He sent you to this pocket dimension. Clark spent days looking for you.
Now, he finally finds you.
“I’ll let her go,” Luthor says calmly, “but you can’t walk out of here hand in hand, side by side. Oh no, 𝐬𝐡𝐞 has to walk behind you.” Luthor smiles wickedly at his reveal.
“That’s it?” Clark questioned, “We can do that.”
Luthor let out a sinister laugh, “There’s a catch. You turn around to even check she’s still there, she comes right back here.”
Clark’s eyes go wide. His breathing becomes strained for a second, “You’re trying to trick us!”
“Not a trick— a 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭,” He calmly replies with a smug look.
Clark looks at you in the glass box Luthor has you in. So afraid but yet so content at the same time.
“We can,“ Clark says finally looking back at Luthor.
“Amazing,” he clasped his hands together, “All you have to do is walk from this portal to Metropolis and everything is fine.”
“Turn around even once though, and she’s mine.”
Clark just gulps at his words.
Luthor takes both you and Clark out of the Pocket Dimension and lead you to this portal that will take you somewhere a hundred miles from Metropolis.
“Good Luck, Superman,” he says before disappearing into the portal.
And so the journey begins.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
Clark leads the way from wherever the hell he left you both to Metropolis. You walk about seven feet behind him at the same pace he is.
It’s night time while you’re doing this, so this just puts more weight on Clark.
‘Where is she?’ ‘What if someone gets her?’ ‘Where do I think I’m going?’
Doubt comes in.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
It’s now the fifth day of this walk.
Clark is all in his head the whole journey. What if you’re dead? God he doesn’t want to turn around but he needs to make sure. What if he’s actually all alone? What if you stopped following him? Where are you?
He can see Metropolis from where he stood, so it meant you could too.
All you could see was his tense back and his tired strides. You wish he could know you were behind him, but Luthor blocked out any type of way for you to even communicate. If you spoke, he wouldn’t hear. If you threw something at him, he couldn’t feel. He can’t hear your heartbeat or steps being taken. This was his hell.
Clark thought Luthor was tricking him. Why would he let you go? Why would he give him the chance of happiness? Where is she? Where is she now?
Doubt comes in.
Clark hesitates turning around. He needs to know you’re still there. That you are even alive at this point. Anything. He resists the urges to turn around.
Clark begins to cry.
Not from sadness that he’s walking or that his body is tired. He’s crying because of guilt. How stupid could he be? Of course as soon as he publicly said as Superman he was dating someone Lex Luthor would stop at nothing to find out who. How idiotic.
He feels guilty because now your life is on the line for his mistakes. For his stupidity.
“Wait for me,” is what you’ve been whispering to him for hours. You know he can’t hear it but it’s all that keeps you going. You should be tired— exhausted. You’re not.
“Clark, I’m right behind you. I have been all along,” you say as if he can even hear you.
You just want him to know that you are there. To know that everything will be okay in the end.
Doubt comes in.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
It’s hours later.
Only a few more minutes and he will step foot in Metropolis.
Doubt comes in.
He no longer believes you are behind him. His ears having been ringing for hours. Where is she? Where is she now?
Doubt comes in.
He wipes his tears from his eyes as he gets closer to Metropolis.
“Clark, I’m right behind you. I have been all along,” you chant to him. Still acting as if he can hear your words.
You are so close to Metropolis. So close to the point you can smell the certain air it has. You can hear the sounds it makes.
You smile.
This journey has been exhausting, yes. However, this journey has proven you and Clark’s relationship is strong. So strong he trust you, and you trust him. You two are making it out of here to enjoy spring.
Spring will come again.
Clark steps into Metropolis first. This means you’re next and you’ll finally be in his arms again. You get closer. So close it feels almost as you can touch it. One more step and you’ll be able to be—
He turns around.
You gasp in horror as you haven’t even stepped foot in Metropolis.
You both stare at each other. Your mouth parted as tears well up in your eyes.
He has a look of sadness wash over his face.
A beat passed.
“It’s you,” his voice trembled as tears stream down his face.
A long silence takes over both of you.
“It’s me,” you murmur.
The tension in the air is thick. So thick it feels like you aren’t even breathing anymore.
All of this walking and trying to leave— for nothing. Soon you will be sent back to the Pocket Dimension.
“Oh Superman,” you cry out.
He reaches a hand out watching you fade away.
“My love,” he sobs watching you disappear in daylight.
He drops to his knees and began sobbing uncontrollably.
Spring will come again.
✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧✧
Moment of carefree joy we all need.
Still, I believe in you. You can do a little better even if you don't think so. I promise! Keep going. You're doing so great ‧₊˚❀
GL Short Film Round-Up (February)
There's been so many short films released this month that I thought I'd make a brief post compiling them/putting them all together.
This month, works came from four different countries: South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, and Hong Kong.
You Like Me, Don't You?
South Korea; 8 minutes
While drunk, Jisoo reveals her feelings to her close friend Jooyeon, who always takes care of her.
Spring Will Come
Vietnam; 17 minutes
In Saigon, a young DJ and her girlfriend struggle to end their relationship. A Vietnamese-American stranger visits them, hoping to free her Father’s spirit from their apartment (source: Nowness Asia).
(Originally released in October, but re-released again recently)
Another Shade of Love
Thailand; 8 minutes
Yai Mai is a young girl with special feelings for her best friend, Jane. However, this love is painted with different shades from the very beginning. As a result, Yai Mai tries do everything she can to make sure her and Jane's shades match (source: video caption; summary created with the help of some translation tools)
(This is the only one on the list with no official English subs [although auto subs are available], but I thought I'd add it because the premise sounds interesting)
The Red Kiss
Hong Kong; 24 minutes
Passion brews quietly between Qin Qin and Vicky, as they rehearse for a school anniversary drama performance during their form 5 summer holiday. The two girls gradually become lost to feelings of tension and growing intimacy. Right before the new school year begins, a kissing plot is exposed and their show is banned. Yet what happens boosts Qin Qin’s courage, and she decides to make a bold move on the first day of school (source: video caption).
Roommate
Thailand; 13 minutes
When "intimacy" is the origin of "forgetfulness," feelings between roommates Min and Noey continue to be ignored- and the distance between them continues to grow wider (source: video caption).
There will be a time when I hold my hand out of the car window and the warm wind will stroke the fine hair, back and forth. I'll feel no pain. Instead I will sing along to my favorite songs and my heart will burst from joy.
- D.
SPRING WILL COME 2024 A VIETNAMESE SHORT FILM (1548)
I am always eager to find a new experience that will add something to the humdrum of tedious chores that never seem to end. This I found in the short film that follows. See the short film first. It doesn't if you understand it or not, but it will all come together. The fluidity of the camera with its noisy background and music creates a sort of bizarre ambiance of expectation that never comes. Take a look with open eyes ...
In Spring Will Come, Sundance Festival award-winning director Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill explores the inner lives of people confronting different kinds of loss. Distanced from their sense of home, belonging, intimacy and love, three individuals struggle to find a way forward as their emotional journeys collide.
source LoveSick: Spring Will Come | NOWNESS link https://youtu.be/HgPwujp3OyA
tumblr source girlsloveupdates Mar 1 Spring Will Come
When I met Ly, she had only ever had boyfriends. A lot of boyfriends. I had to convince her I was better than all the boys.
LoveSick: Spring Will Come
In Saigon, a young DJ and her girlfriend struggle to end their relationship. A Vietnamese-American stranger visits them, hoping to free her Father’s spirit from their apartment.
In Spring Will Come, Sundance Festival award-winning director Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill explores the inner lives of people confronting different kinds of loss. Distanced from their sense of home, belonging, intimacy and love, three individuals struggle to find a way forward as their emotional journeys collide.
In an apartment located in a vibrant and densely packed neighbourhood complex in Saigon's District 3, a young DJ and her girlfriend quietly anticipate the end of their relationship, weary of the growing silence between them. One day, a strange Vietnamese-American woman arrives at their doorstep, hoping to free the spirit of her long-lost Father who once lived in their apartment.
“Maybe gifts aren’t worth anything when they’re wrapped in guilt.”
Produced without a written script, much of the dialogue and emotional expressions were improvised by the actors. The short brings together a team of Saigonese creatives, including Tôn Tôn Bo (a DJ who goes by Van Anh) and Ly who star alongside Vietnamese-American actress Amy Lê.
Van Anh and Ly, who are partners in real life, are also members of Gái Nhảy, a queer collective pushing boundaries in the underground electronic music and club scene in Saigon. In 2023, director Hill came across DJ Van Anh at a club in Saigon.
”I knew immediately that I would be blessed to collaborate with her,” Hill recalled in a conversation with NOWNESS ASIA.
“Vietnamese queer people in the West continue to have difficulty being comfortable with who they are. I returned to Saigon and witnessed a young person like Van Anh who is unapologetically proud to be herself. I wanted to capture this for queer Vietnamese people in the diaspora. I give thanks to DJ Van Anh and her partner Ly for inviting me to do so.”
The film also reflects two sides of the director and the connections she is trying to make between these parts of herself.
"I am a child of those who left Vietnam during the war, who returned decades later to make sense of my identity. I am also a person who rejected vulnerability in all of my personal relationships until I understood that I had inherited this coping mechanism from my elders.”
While developing the short, Hill (who is based in New Orleans) was inspired by old Vietnamese songs, particularly those that resemble the traditional jazz standards that she hears every day where she lives.
“All of the songs in this film are singing about spring – yearning for the better days ahead. Welcoming these songs into the soundtrack of a struggling contemporary queer relationship tied the voices of multiple Vietnamese generations and perspectives together — moving through pain and rupture, and looking ahead with hope for healing.”February 13, 2025 .
source: Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill
Marion Hoàng Ngọc Hill is an artist, filmmaker and music producer based in New Orleans with roots in Viet Nam, France and the UK. Her films explore the dynamics of love, power, gender and romance across cultures.
With a uniquely immersive approach to filmmaking, her practice prioritizes discovery, trusting the work to carve its own story from within the unfolding collective process, often involving non-professional actors. Following her Sundance Festival award-winning debut feature film Ma Belle, My Beauty, Marion has focused on creating films and music that both highlight diasporic Vietnamese communities and serve as a means of reconnection with the contemporary artists and culture of Viet Nam.