madam phung's last journey 2014

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Review: ‘Madam Phung’s Last Journey’ Follows a Gender-Bending Troupe

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By Helen T. Verongos

• Nov. 11, 2015

The subject of “Madam Phung’s Last Journey” describes herself and the carnival family in orbit around her as neither male nor female but half and half — citizens who have no place within the strictures of Vietnam’s official society and few opportunities for legitimate employment.

Bich Phung gives them a place. A natural leader, she is, at 40, a star, an impresario and a protector of a collection of slim-hipped boys with glittering eye shadow, extreme false lashes and marabou headpieces. Once a monk — she bolted when she was tempted by the beauty of some visitors to the temple — she remains a guardian of spiritual tradition, traveling with a large statue of a female bodhisattva and performing rituals to honor the ancestors.

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. Mostly, though, the camera reveals boisterous drunks. And after the stage is dark, violence breaks out more than once between cast members and thugs, and Madam Phung appeases the police with a case of beer.

Inches from performers shimmying into costumes, the lens’s uncritical eye catches one young singer as she carefully daubs her cheeks with geisha-white foundation, another who has a delicate face but ravaged teeth, even an insect crawling up the tarp “wall” of a dressing room. Gentle, coaxing questions from off camera draw out their stories.

Madame Hang, who runs the shooting gallery of the traveling show, is drowning in debt. At 46, she, too, is an elder of the troupe. When she talks about her past at an after-work gathering, she raises a shot glass to her lips with pinkie crooked in a concession to refinement.

And Madam Phung, her eyes on the future as well on as the past, takes the film crew along to a Buddhist pagoda where she gets a karma reading to find an auspicious time for some repairs.

Madam Phung confesses that she has high hopes for this documentary as a way to spread understanding: “They’ll see homosexuals’ everyday life, how hard it is,” she said.

The group is always one crisis away from disaster, karmic credit notwithstanding. But saucy as ever, Madame Phung knows she can walk that line: “I’m not scared of dying, but aging,” she says.

“Madam Phung’s Last Journey,” in Vietnamese, with English subtitles, is not rated. Running time: 1 hour 27 minutes.

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The Last Journey of Madam Phung

2014, Documentary, 1h 27m

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The last journey of madam phung   photos.

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.

Genre: Documentary

Original Language: Vietnamese

Director: Tham Nguyen Thi

Runtime: 1h 27m

Cast & Crew

Tham Nguyen Thi

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Film Review: The Last Journey of Madam Phung (2014) by Nguyen Thi Tham

If you don't like documentaries, chances are, you have not watched the right one. I first saw “ The Last Journey of Madam Phung ” by young director Nguyen Thi Tham when I was in grade 10. Back then, I neither had the slightest inkling of queerness nor firsthand experiences with social outcasts. So with the curiosity typical of an explorer encountering exotic natives on their foreign land for the first time, I watched as the real lives of transvestite troupe singers – led by Madam Phung – transpire on screen in tidbits. Fascinating. Heartbreaking.

Traversing the rural areas where locals dulled by their monolithic lives are waiting to be entertained, the troupe singers enthrall with their exotic looks and raffish performances that never fail to amaze. Their dapper movements tick. Their exuberant costumes a marvelous sight to locals dimmed by countryside austerity. And the troupe's fairground activities sustain the locals' attention a little bit longer into the night, before their initial enthusiasm (and probably pockets) thin. The troupe never stays anywhere for too long. Living off strangers' curiosity and condescending kindness, these people are always on the go, heading where their deviant looks and whimsical performances make a fresh new sight to local people. Theirs is a life rooted in journeys with as much excitement as hostility await at every corner they turn.

When they're not traveling and erecting makeshift stages to prepare for a new show, they resume some parts of their “normal”, daily lives: resting, drinking (sometimes a bit too much), gambling, and flirting among themselves or with locals and even the police. And the best part: recounting the story of their lives. Madam Phung, we learn, is formerly a monk who, catching glimpses of an exciting world outside the monasteries, left to join other peripatetic performers. Canny and charismatic, she soon made a fortune and started her own troupe, giving those who are shunned by society and without legitimate employments a roof over their heads, a livelihood, and a family. Hang, another elder, brags often about her own wisdom, moral codes, and past relationships with men, her humor drawing laughters from other troupe members. Younger transvestites are more into their looks and hanging out with young men, all the while endearing to the puppies they keep, also unwanted and unloved creatures.  

Making the documentary with only the assistance of a friend, director Nguyen Thi Tham initially thought only of gaining a detached view of troupe singers' nomadic lives. But her intended five months of making the documentary soon lapsed into a tortuous, eventful five years as attachment grew, and her outsider life soon became entwined with that of insiders. Without broad sweeps of landscape that impress viewers, Tham's camerawork is more attentive to her subjects' most private thoughts and feelings, and thus accord them the respect and understanding they rarely get to enjoy.

Made with an inquiring mind and a sensitive heart, Tham's documentary never once loses track of the human conditions, timely capturing every moment of the troupe as they traverse villages and provinces. The violence that erupts in the last ten minutes of the film and the broken shouts and cries that come with it are some of the highlights so well captured that will move audience to tears. In short, the director has immersed herself long enough in the troupe's peripatetic life she comes an indispensable part of it, and it an indispensable part of her.

On the acting front, to state the obvious, none of the characters in The Last Journey are professionals. In fact, they are not even acting, but they have embellished what would otherwise be a monotonous documentary in ways no accomplished actors possibly could. After all, don't their charisma, fine humor, and interesting personalities deserve our love and admiration? Madam Phung's charm is irresistible, and the confidence and unwavering audacity she exudes is unmatched. Hang's story-telling and intimate jokes are engaging and entertaining. A slew of performances many other troupe singers have rendered are no less interesting than what we're usually exposed to. And watching these sparkling characters shine through even their most hellish moments, one can't help but wonder were they not judged and discriminated for being who they are, where their skills and charm would bring them.

“The Last Journey of Madam Phung”, after many viewings, ceases to be a treatise on gender. As director Tham herself admitted in a film screening that I attended, she was barely conscious of any particular messages when she was making the film. “The Last Journey of Madam Phung”, in its entirety, is more than a documentary that informs us of queer lives and advocates for gender equality. At its simplest, the documentary, made with such keen insight and industry, thrills not by trying to move beyond life as it is but by capturing exactly its traumatic realities.

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‘madam phung’s last journey’: film review.

Nguyen Thi Tham's documentary profiles the cross-dressing leader of an itinerant troupe of carnival performers in rural Vietnam.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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One of the more touching moments in Nguyen Thi Tham’s documentary about a Vietnamese cross-dressing singer and her itinerant band of performers who travel around the country entertaining rural audiences is when she tells the filmmaker, “When your film is on TV, they’ll see homosexuals’ everyday life.” What she doesn’t realize is that, unfortunately, the resulting film, the moving Madam Phung’s Last Journey , is likely to be seen only in film festivals and more adventurous arthouses . It’s currently receiving a theatrical engagement at New York City’s Anthology Film Archives.

Tham certainly found a fascinating camera subject in Bich Phung , a former monk who abandoned his religious calling when he could no longer ignore his sexual identity.

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“I saw beautiful fags praying, and felt like running away,” she explains.

He transformed himself into Madam Phung , the leader of her largely transvestite troupe which delivers rough-hewn carnival entertainment including musical numbers and games of chance (like betting on which direction a trapped guinea pig will run) to remote villages whose residents are sorely in need of diversion.

The performers’ obvious sexuality often induces jeering from the audiences, which sometimes escalates into physical altercations. Madam Phung acts as a protective den mother, counseling her charges to limit their drinking and gambling and sometimes resorting to paying off the local police for protection.

In her mid-forties, she’s also well aware of the passage of time and her diminishing allure.

“I’m not scared of dying, but of aging,” she comments.

Read More ‘Coming Home’: Film Review

Using a cinema verite style to explore this little-known subculture, the filmmaker presents a tender portrait of his subjects who have little place in their country’s society. That it ends on a particularly sad note only adds to its quietly elegiac quality.

Director/screenwriter/director of photography: Nugyen Thi Tham

Producers: Andre Van In, Sylvie Blum

Editors: Aurelie Ricard , Pham Thi Hao

Not rated, 86 min.

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Madam Phung's Last Journey

Original title: chuyến đi cuối cùng của chị phụng.

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Madam Phung's Last Journey streaming: where to watch online?

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Endearing Madame Phung and her transvestite singers travel around Vietnam, sparking fascination and hostility from the local people.

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It's the classic carny existence: long hours; setting up and tearing down the stage; exhorting the crowd to buy raffle tickets and play games; putting on a show. But the people we meet in MADAM PHUNG'S LAST JOURNEY are not your ordinary fairground workers.

This verite documentary takes us on a year-long ride with an itinerant troupe of cross-dressing performers, led by Madam Phung, as they travel the remote southern regions and central highlands of Vietnam.

MADAM PHUNG'S LAST JOURNEY also captures its subject at a critical moment in her life. Now 40, she is haunted by fears of ageing, concerned with fixing bad karma, and worried about what might happen to her troupe after she is gone.

From change rooms, to on-stage performances, to time spent in tour buses, filmmaker Nguyễn Thị Thấm develops a remarkable rapport with the performers. They share their fears, expose their vulnerabilities, and talk about the challenges of being gay in Vietnam: including employment discrimination and dealing with audiences who might just as easily throw rocks at the performers as try to hit on them during the show.

"Madam Phung is, at 40, a star, an impresario and a protector of a collection of slim-hipped boys with glittering eye shadow, extreme false lashes and marabou headpieces." — The New York Times "Director Tham Nguyen Thi achieves an impressive degree of intimacy with her subjects, many of them queer or transgender, as they drink, bicker, and explain how much trouble LGBT people have... This is a lively film but also a sad one." — Chicago Reader "4/4 Stars! A visionary film; never loses track of the human condition, remaining visually attentive to how each member moves, gestures, and imparts thoughts." — Slant Magazine "A tender story of aging, carnival-style." — The Village Voice "Sneaks under your skin." — Film Journal International "An amazing piece of cinema verite that explores a rarely glimpsed side of Vietnam. The film is excellent material for cultural studies and what homosexuality looks like in another part of world. Recommended!" — Educational Media Reviews Online

87 minutes / Color English subtitles Release: 2014 Copyright: 2014

Subject areas : Asia , Cultural Anthropology , Cultural Studies , Dance , Gay Studies , Gender Studies, Human Sexuality , Lesbian Studies , Music , Psychology , Sociology , Southeast Asia , Theater , Vietnam, Women's Studies

Wandering Souls Thirty years after the end of the war against the United States, two Vietnamese veterans continue to search for the remains of their dead comrades.

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The Last Journey of Madam Phung

Tham Nguyen Thi

Where does theatre begin and real life end? Endearing Madame Phung and her transvestite singers travel around Vietnam, sparking fascination and hostility from the local people.

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MADAM PHUNG'S LAST JOURNEY

Chuyen di cuoi cùng cua chi phung.

Where does theatre begin and real life end ?. Endearing Madame Phung and her transvestite singers travel around Vietnam, sparking fascination and hostility from the local people.

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Madam phung's last journey.

2014 ‘Chuyến đi cuối cùng của chị Phụng’ Directed by Tham Nguyen Thi

Endearing Madame Phung and her transvestite singers travel around Vietnam, sparking fascination and hostility from the local people.

Director Director

Tham Nguyen Thi

Writer Writer

Cinematography cinematography, alternative title.

The Last Journey of Madam Phung

Documentary

Releases by Date

24 mar 2014, releases by country.

87 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by blandbitchturnsintoslaywitch ★★★★

về tính điện ảnh, phim này không phải một phim khó để gọi là một phim hay, nhưng giá trị mà phim mang mới là thứ khiến nó trở thành một trong những phim documentary LGBTQ+ Việt đáng xem nhất (hoặc là phim hay nhất).

nó là một phim mà kể cả bạn là bê đê thì tính relatable cũng rất ít, bạn phải là bê đê ở tuổi đang héo hon, một bê đê biết và hiểu thứ gọi là "văn hóa lô tô", và từng trải qua đủ điều thì mới rõ lý do gì khiến phim được tung hô đến dữ thế.

Review by tramy

i keep thinking about a phrase that is often used to describe people who are entertainers: people who sell smiles (kẻ bán tiếng cười). they might bring joy to people but after the lights are out, the applause fades and it's only the ridicule and disgust that remain. madam phụng's last journey is about those who can't go home anymore, instead eke out an existence on the road where for a couple of hours, they could be accepted and welcomed. to hear the way they so matter of factly discussed what they should avoid when entering a new town lest they be blamed if anything happened, the weary resignation they greet the fact that they will never get what they…

Review by spen ★★★½

bánh bóng bánh bóng

Review by RigelDC ★★½

The day-to-day lives of an itinerant troupe of gay and drag performers in rural Vietnam.

One of the hardest films on my watchlist to get ahold of. Takes a cinema vérité approach as the director simply hangs around watching the crew, chatting with them during downtime, and observing events that affect them. Thi witnesses the mundanity of their lives take on a tragic trajectory, albeit one-sided. Observing cultural differences this way, especially in a circus-like atmosphere, has an artsy appeal.

I understand I'm speaking from a position of privilege in a first-world country, but the unenthusiastic performers come off as little more than back-alley cabaret acts with no talent beyond singing blandly. Many of their songs' lyrics are self-deprecating and…

Review by EllioxLee ★★★★

American have drag queen, in Vietnam we have this, they are a part of gay culture in Vietnam. And even till this day they still being look down upon by straight people and gay people. All these people deserve better.

Review by 🥄 ★★★★

both strange and familiar

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Looking to feast your eyes on ' Madam Phung's Last Journey ' in the comfort of your own home? Finding a streaming service to buy, rent, download, or view the Tham Nguyen Thi-directed movie via subscription can be difficult, so we here at Moviefone want to help you out. We've listed a number of streaming and cable services - including rental, purchase, and subscription alternatives - along with the availability of 'Madam Phung's Last Journey' on each platform when they are available. Now, before we get into all the details of how you can watch 'Madam Phung's Last Journey' right now, here are some details about the documentary flick. Released , 'Madam Phung's Last Journey' stars The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 27 min, and received a user score of 80 (out of 100) on TMDb, which collated reviews from 3 top users. Want to know what the movie's about? Here's the plot: "Endearing Madame Phung and her transvestite singers travel around Vietnam, sparking fascination and hostility from the local people." 'Madam Phung's Last Journey' is currently available to rent, purchase, or stream via subscription on OVID .

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• Cast & crew

Release info

• The Last Journey of Madam Phung

Release Date

• March 24, 2014 (Cinéma du Réel)
• April 23, 2014 (ChopShots Documentary Film Festival)
• June 7, 2014 (European - Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival)
• June 17, 2014 (Human Rights Human Dignity International Film Festival)
• November 2, 2014 (Mini DocFest)

Also Known As (AKA)

• Chuyen di cuoi cùng cua chi Phung
• Le dernier voyage de Madame Phung
• Madam Phung's Last Journey (new title)
• Chuyến Đi Cuối Cùng Của Chị Phụng

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