Release Year: 2007
Original title: Chuyện thày Đức
Synopsis:
In 2007, Vietnamese filmmaker Nguyen Trinh Thi released the documentary Love Man Love Woman, a poignant exploration of gender, identity, and spirituality in the context of the Dao Mau tradition, a popular folk religion in Vietnam. The film focuses on a community of effeminate gay men who serve as spiritual mediums in religious ceremonies, blurring the lines between gender, sexuality, and faith in a country where social norms tend to reinforce heteronormativity. At its heart, Love Man Love Woman provides an intimate portrait of individuals who defy societal expectations and explore the intersection of religion, performance, and personal identity.
Dao Mau, or the Mother Goddess religion, is an indigenous spiritual practice that has been practiced in Vietnam for centuries. It involves the worship of a pantheon of deities, particularly the Mother Goddesses, who are believed to control various aspects of the natural and supernatural world. Central to Dao Mau rituals is the role of thay cai, or spiritual mediums, who serve as intermediaries between the gods and humans. These mediums enter into trances to communicate with spirits, and their performances often involve elaborate rituals, singing, and dancing.
While the religious tradition itself is deeply rooted in Vietnamese culture, it has long been associated with gender fluidity. In particular, the mediums who perform these roles often cross traditional gender boundaries, wearing elaborate costumes and adopting female personas during rituals. The practice of thay cai is one of the few spaces in Vietnamese society where effeminate men, or even those who identify as gay, can publicly express themselves without the severe social stigma that often accompanies non-heteronormative identities.
