For the first time ever, a "Vietnamese film" but made with passion, with love, the love for art, for this country's dying filmmaking industry. Ròm is definitely beautiful, is a masterpiece i would say. From camera angles that was so creative and magnificent, to a beautiful soundtrack, and some real acting skills from all of the characters. What else can I can say? Ah, yeah a completely strange but undoubtedly excellent concept was built up and ended( wait, but did it really end?) with the song CHAY. All of that created a MASTERPIECE. This is, without a doubt, the future of Vietnamese films. BIG RESPECT.
15 Reviews
Compelling and intelligent
jrbauer111-230-95872318 November 2023
Very good film in which the characters are struggling to survive in a bleak, poverty-stricken part of Ho Chi Minh City that is controlled by a ruthless gangster. The main character, Nòm, is an orphan with dreams of reuniting with the parents who abandoned him after they were evicted from their home.
He earns money by running daily lottery bets to and from bookies and persists despite endemic violence, treachery, and literal hunger. He is wiley and relatively street savvy, having had to fend for himself for the last 6 years.
The movie itself seems to expose the seamy side of a capitalist society that provides little or no support to its poorest members, especially in a country founded on Communist principles.
He earns money by running daily lottery bets to and from bookies and persists despite endemic violence, treachery, and literal hunger. He is wiley and relatively street savvy, having had to fend for himself for the last 6 years.
The movie itself seems to expose the seamy side of a capitalist society that provides little or no support to its poorest members, especially in a country founded on Communist principles.
Movie of the year 2020
loxvip-4535425 September 2020
The harsh world of lottery players, Come to the world of the poorest of Sai Gon, immerse yourself in the story of Rom. This is not an easy movie to watch, it's not merely entertaining, it's the pain, the deposition, the obsession that you probably wouldn't be able to fully understand if you didn't live in the world of Rom. . Thank you Tran Thanh Huy and the team.
A very wonderful movie
tuananhle-7860425 September 2020
Well shot, but that's about it.
Top_Dawg_Critic27 July 2021
This was way too long, even at the mere 79 min runtime. It was just the same thing over and over again, and it got boring and depressing. It didn't even make much sense how any of these numbers written on a piece of paper go towards betting. You will struggle finishing this one. This would've been better as a documentary. I will say though that it was well shot and certainly shows the slums of Vietnam. The amateur kid actors performed well. Nvm all the bogus high reviews, it's a generous 5/10 from me.
The director wants everyone to find answer for Rom
erik699622830 September 2020
You should watch Rom similar movies. Examples: Hereditary, Burning, Midsommar, American Psycho. No opening nor ending, confusing content, ... The movie isn't bad, you just don't have enough knowledge to understand it.
79 minutes felt like 240 minutes long
Genkinchan21 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Alright let the rating began
Firstly this is the first Vietnamese movie I watched and the movie itself comes with internal English subtitles in the first 20 minutes we were introduce to ROM who lost his parents and selling lottery tickets to make ends meet.
Secondly the execution of the movie is just so dull the neighbourhood all are portrays as addicted gamblers with no proper jobs aka Hobo
Thirdly might be due to the subtitles accuracy I could not grasp a lot of the conversation but a lot of the dialogue have no substance and plotless
Fourthly we get to know that the landlord force them out of the neighbourhood through hired gangs and a lot of the plot were not properly explained
Fifthly I can sympathise with Rom and Phuc regarding their living environment and must do what they have been doing .. but the movie just exploits the situation further down the road
Finally the only scene worth watching is the final act chasing scene between the two which towards the end we can see the demise of Rom
It is just over rated I can appreciate the effort but the movie is just a one time watch.
Firstly this is the first Vietnamese movie I watched and the movie itself comes with internal English subtitles in the first 20 minutes we were introduce to ROM who lost his parents and selling lottery tickets to make ends meet.
Secondly the execution of the movie is just so dull the neighbourhood all are portrays as addicted gamblers with no proper jobs aka Hobo
Thirdly might be due to the subtitles accuracy I could not grasp a lot of the conversation but a lot of the dialogue have no substance and plotless
Fourthly we get to know that the landlord force them out of the neighbourhood through hired gangs and a lot of the plot were not properly explained
Fifthly I can sympathise with Rom and Phuc regarding their living environment and must do what they have been doing .. but the movie just exploits the situation further down the road
Finally the only scene worth watching is the final act chasing scene between the two which towards the end we can see the demise of Rom
It is just over rated I can appreciate the effort but the movie is just a one time watch.
For things that people should understand
luuthaiquangkhai9 October 2020
The film really took me on and off for a ride of emotions, especially for someone who had a time living with people who strived their way out of situations as bad as the characters in the movie was. I found the movie to be incredibly realist, and that angle was delivered by totally beautiful scenes.
It is true that there are plots where the films get a bit confusing, which was explained to be due to necessary cuts in order to be approved by the government, which also was the reason that leads to the poor characteristic development in the characters.
But in general, how the film is delivered really got me and it definitely deserves all it receives by now!
A brilliant cinematic gem from Vietnam
private-9050524 October 2021
Tran Thanh Huy's fresh and exceptional film is a testament to the blossoming of Vietnamese cinema. His off-kilter shots, handheld moves, and guerrilla camera sequences shot on Saigon's busy streets underscore the fragility of street kid existence and the tragedy of physically and emotionally-challenged "lost" youth.
In this case, 14-year old Rom -- a middleman for illegal lottery ticket sales to impoverished gamblers willing to mortgage their rickety tenement homes for a long shot at riches. It all goes down in a corrugated sheeting world of back alleys, gangsters, superstition and Rom's quest to find his parents who abandoned him as a boy.
It's a brutally competitive life for Rom (Tran Anh) and Phuk (Anh Tu) who egg on customers with claims of winning numbers. A correct guess results in big tips. A wrong one earns a pummeling. Both actors deserve kudos for their portrayals of streetwise adolescents in physically-demanding roles. Thien Kim is perfect as Mrs. Ba, a grandmotherly senior addicted to betting.
Vietnamese censors' slashing of "Rom" to 79 minutes in an act of cinematic vandalism adds to the film's mystique and earns its producers a badge of courage for having bypassed bureaucratic permission to screen it at the 24th Busan International Film Festival where it took top honors, a first for Vietnam. Hopefully, a director's cut will surface someday.
Tana Schembori and Juan Carlos Maneglia touched nicely on similar tropes in 2017's Paraguayan caper film "26 Boxes," but "Rom" now owns the genre.
In this case, 14-year old Rom -- a middleman for illegal lottery ticket sales to impoverished gamblers willing to mortgage their rickety tenement homes for a long shot at riches. It all goes down in a corrugated sheeting world of back alleys, gangsters, superstition and Rom's quest to find his parents who abandoned him as a boy.
It's a brutally competitive life for Rom (Tran Anh) and Phuk (Anh Tu) who egg on customers with claims of winning numbers. A correct guess results in big tips. A wrong one earns a pummeling. Both actors deserve kudos for their portrayals of streetwise adolescents in physically-demanding roles. Thien Kim is perfect as Mrs. Ba, a grandmotherly senior addicted to betting.
Vietnamese censors' slashing of "Rom" to 79 minutes in an act of cinematic vandalism adds to the film's mystique and earns its producers a badge of courage for having bypassed bureaucratic permission to screen it at the 24th Busan International Film Festival where it took top honors, a first for Vietnam. Hopefully, a director's cut will surface someday.
Tana Schembori and Juan Carlos Maneglia touched nicely on similar tropes in 2017's Paraguayan caper film "26 Boxes," but "Rom" now owns the genre.
Great film but...
Rookie00129 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
With all due respect, given the not-so-great reputation of Vietnamese films, it's a good movie, however, it fell short of a few things...
First, some good stuffs: The backstory is very touching and real: the hard world of lottery players and the kids serving the players. The cinematics are very good, the view is basically identical to what some people would find in certain alleys in Sai Gon. (this one though, for me I don't know exactly, a friend of mine told me about it). Half of the film's duration is a real journey, full of pain and exciting moments, progresses good. There is a nice little throwaway moment when Phúc was asked about how did he got his name, which captured some laughter in the room.
However, the last half of the film is disappointing as there are quite a lot of confusing moments which completely threw the story flow off, especially the ending. They ended up chasing each other in a never-ending manner, which raises many questions. What happened after the chase? Will Ròm find his parents? And many more.
If the entire half of the movie got some improvement in the story flow, it would be a great movie, but for now, it's hard to get this film above 5 or 6 due to its less-than-OK ending.
First, some good stuffs: The backstory is very touching and real: the hard world of lottery players and the kids serving the players. The cinematics are very good, the view is basically identical to what some people would find in certain alleys in Sai Gon. (this one though, for me I don't know exactly, a friend of mine told me about it). Half of the film's duration is a real journey, full of pain and exciting moments, progresses good. There is a nice little throwaway moment when Phúc was asked about how did he got his name, which captured some laughter in the room.
However, the last half of the film is disappointing as there are quite a lot of confusing moments which completely threw the story flow off, especially the ending. They ended up chasing each other in a never-ending manner, which raises many questions. What happened after the chase? Will Ròm find his parents? And many more.
If the entire half of the movie got some improvement in the story flow, it would be a great movie, but for now, it's hard to get this film above 5 or 6 due to its less-than-OK ending.
Best Vietnamese movie ever made
nguyenhan-6925312 July 2021
It make me wish to watch it again on the big screen. You won't regret watching this movie. It has a little bit like Parasites but different in its own ways. I first watched the movie with a bad feeling thought it had been cut a lot since the Busan cut and the movie would be bad but I was really really wrong, one of the best film I have watch.
Completely overrated
DoPhamLinhDan14 June 2020
Voice of the unheard
vttha10 October 2020
I spend 17 years in Saigon. The city is beautiful in most part but underlay all of these light is the tough life of the native who live by the alley ways. I witnessed myself these running life. I appreciate the movie very much to show the rough side of the city. The camera in the movie as well is askew on an angle . I think it's an ingenious idea. It seems to works so well to capture the roof scenes. In some way there life is always like that hanging of the edge. always battle to climb up the hill. Always live on an angle plane. Incredible
I love the ending
JessicaCatrionaGray24 June 2020
Overrated movie
RelightVN6 October 2020
First, im a Vietnamese. I lived in Saigon (HCM city) for 4 years, since 2012-2016, and Saigon in my memories is a beautiful city. People live with hope, and joy. But in the movie, everyone in this movie do not has a job. They just gambling, gangs???
The judges are forgein, so they misunderstand about my country. The award is a joke, just like Messi Ballor O'dor in 2010.
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