What's wrong with Vietnamese LGBT+ movies?

There are many movies about the LGBT+ topic. The main purpose of a movie is to spread any meaningful messages. However, not all movies bring the positive messages to viewers.

It is hard to compare Vietnamese movies to other countries’ movies because our movie industry is not as developed as others. This blog will show three aspects of Vietnamese movies which may annoy other people.

1. Being too effeminate

There is usually a gay man in any Vietnamese movie recently, even when the movie is not about the LGBT+ topic. Why? That man has a very important mission. He has to be extremely effeminate to amuse viewers. He would wear colorful clothes, speak in very high tone, and most scenes about him are about him doing his nails or gossiping.

Of course, most people watch movies to be entertained, and using that kind of character is one of the easiest ways to satisfy viewers’ needs.

However, it may bring a wrong message. Do gay men always act like this? Do gay men always reach other guys for sex? Are gay men always for amusing others?

The answers are: NO, of course not.

The LGBT+ community is quite complex, and there are too many aspects of that community. LGBT+ people are not only gay men, and not all gay men are effeminate. That kind of movie may let other people, who do not know much about the community, feel annoyed about LGBT+ people.

And for the people who support LGBT+ rights, they may feel annoyed because that type of character is used too much in movies. There are many other ways to amuse viewers, not only using a gay man.

2. Trying too much to spread the message about the LGBT+ community

I did mention that movies have the purpose of spreading messages. So why is it annoying?

In many Vietnamese movies about LGBT+, there is a (long, long) scene of a person trying to yell the gender declaration:

“Mom, being gay is not a disease. We are born this way. It is not a choice”

And of another person, probably his mom, telling his partner:

“Get away from my son. He is infectious of gay disease because of you.”

Of course, it is a good message. It is also the message that S.A.F.E. wants to spread. But for me, a movie has to have the movie language. There are several ways for a movie to express its message, not only by crying, going down the street and yelling. Why do they always overdo?

3. Containing totally wrong messages

The movie called “Manly Girl and Girly Man” shows a method to cure the LGBT+ disease.

Just by: kissing.

The “girly man," whose sexual orientation is gay, even wanted to become transgender. But, just by kissing his best friend, the “manly girl” – they fall in love with each other.

“I was cured from that disease, now I can love girl.”

Is LGBT+ a disease? Can it be cured?

If the person is bisexual, who can be attracted by both men and women, of course, they may change from loving a guy to loving a girl. But, in this case, while his sexual orientation is gay, it is quite impossible.

The movie, which is a bad one, contains a totally wrong message, and it may let viewers have the wrong view about the LGBT+ community.

If you are confusing about your sexual orientation, here is a good site for you to seek for support.

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So, which are the best ways for a movie to spread the message about LGBT+ community? Are there any successful one? Our next blog post will be coming soon.