Leon Le’s work as a screenwriter and director is inextricably linked to his immigrant experience. Born in Vietnam, Le initially came to the United States in 1993 when he was 13 years old. After returning to his native land years later, Le experienced a deep nostalgia for the rapidly disappearing Vietnamese customs he knew as a child. 

“Because I left Vietnam in the ’90s, I have a fondness for the way it used to look,” Le explains. “Seeing Vietnam now… it gives me no inspiration. When I return today, Vietnam is so commercialized. Many in Vietnam are happy that this change is occurring, but we are losing our culture by becoming more international. I hope to preserve that in my work.”

Supported through the Vilcek Foundation, Ky Nam Inn will premiere at the 45th Annual Hawai’i International Film Festival as part of the New American Perspectives program, which highlights immigrant filmmakers.

Fading Traditions

Set in 1985, Le’s film Ky Nam Inn paints a vivid picture of life in post-war Vietnam. Most depictions of the country from this period are of a country in disrepair, but the reality is much more complicated. By capturing beautiful imagery of Vietnamese architecture, fashion, food, and everyday ritual, Le asks viewers to challenge their preconceived notions of Vietnam and safeguards the traditions of a society that is quickly dwindling.

Ky Nam Inn follows Khang, a native of northern Vietnam who moves to Saigon after being hired to translate The Little Prince. Due to family connections, Khang’s life under the new regime is secure. Everything changes when he meets Ky Nam, a reserved older widow who is experiencing overwhelming grief from the loss of her son in the fallout from the Vietnam war. Ky Nam and Khang develop an increasingly intimate relationship through mutual love of cuisine, literature, and compassion. They continually wrestle with opposing feelings of desire and duty, exacerbated by the tensions of the recently reunified country.

The creation of Ky Nam Inn is particularly poignant as the 50^th anniversary of the reunification of Vietnam approaches. Seeking to capture the feeling of a half-century ago, Le shot the film in 35mm in Saigon’s Chinatown—the only district that maintains its historic architecture. 

‘I Could Invent My Own Story’

Though he started his career as a dancer and performer, Le realized he wanted to create more impactful work after attending the play Miss Saigon. 

“I remember when I first saw it, I was thrilled that a production about Vietnam was being shown to American audiences,” Le says. “Over time, my perception of Miss Saigon changed as Vietnamese people began to address its problematic messaging. But I realized that instead of complaining about the play’s use of white saviorism tropes, yellowface, or incorrect depictions of our fashion, I could invent my own story.”

To this day, Miss Saigon is one of the few plays that portray Vietnamese characters. Le realized that he could use his background in theater and performance to make his own movie that demonstrated the real Vietnamese culture. Unable to enroll in formal film school, Le set out to learn by doing. He wrote and directed his first short, Dawn, in 2012 and Talking to My Mother in 2015, which screened at over 100 festivals worldwide. Le’s feature debut, Song Lang (2018), received widespread critical acclaim and won more than 50 international awards. It was during the creation of this film that he became inspired to write Ky Nam Inn. 

While working on Song Lang, Le lived in an apartment in central Saigon. His downstairs neighbor was an eccentric woman who cooked and delivered food for others in the complex. Le was intrigued by her solitary and sometimes abrasive nature. 

“Because I was often in my apartment writing, I became very familiar with this woman, and began to ask myself questions, like ‘What could have happened to someone in their life to cause them to act in a certain way?’” Le explains. “One of my main characters, Ky Nam, is inspired by this neighbor, though Ky Nam is very quiet and gentle in nature. I wanted to write a story that would incite empathy in viewers, both for the characters, but also for Vietnam itself.”