Henry Golding in MONSOON

I saw handsome Henry Golding in a movie on Netflix and I liked it. I liked it so much that it left me a bit irritated with ABC's GOOD MORNING AMERICA. I shall explain. Henry Golding stars in MONSOON, a British drama that was released in the U.S. in late 2020 after he'd wowed moviegoers as the leading man in the smash hit romantic comedy, CRAZY RICH ASIANS. Golding's lead role in MONSOON is not as flashy as his one in CRAZY RICH ASIANS. It's more dramatic, one of frank sexuality and one that shows the actor is not "just a pretty face." He's an actor of depth, an actor who commits to his characters. In MONSOON, he plays an upscale young man who spent his formative years in London and travels from London to Saigon in search of his Vietnamese roots. Did you see Robin Williams in his 1987 war comedy triumph, GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM? The action took place in the Saigon of the 1960s. That was the Saigon the Asian Englishman fled, with his parents, when he was a little boy. They were "boat people" who made it to England. His name is Kit. Kit longs to reconnect to the early part of his life in the land of his birth. The land is different now. It's a seemingly overpopulated city with mass transit, lots of traffic and deluxe hotels. Kit is a gay male -- and that is a very important element in his emotional journey.

When first we see Kit, he is a solo traveler. He has checked into a deluxe hotel. He is very much a tourist and appears to be a polite stranger in a strange land. He is tall, lean and tattooed. The one time "boat refugee" is no longer familiar with Saigon and has "a vague remembrance" of the Vietnamese language. He visits a childhood friend who never made it out of Vietnam with his family. The visit is cordial but awkward. The friend is not jealous yet immediately sees that Kit was moved on from his Vietnamese roots in social class. The working class friend still speaks fluent Vietnamese. Kit sounds like a proper Englishman. He's now an outsider in his homeland. We see this in the shots and scenes of him alone. We see him framed in wide shots -- by himself -- unsmiling. Taking a trip to Hanoi is his goal.

In a way, Kit is like Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle in the 1964 film version of the classic Broadway musical, MY FAIR LADY. Eliza is a poor girl who lives in the low-income part of London. She works in the flower district selling flowers to high-tone folks in the fancy part of London. She wants to reinvent herself, improve herself, stop wearing raggedy clothes and speak proper English. She wants to be "a lady in a flower shop." In six months, she accomplishes that with the help of a speech professor. The way she now walks, talks, dresses and behaves is so classy that she attends a gala and is the belle of the ball attended by royals. But when she visits her former work district, looking elegant, her former co-workers don't recognize her. They treat her like a lady. She now  speaks proper English and has become a tourist in what was her longtime turf, the place from where she came. She moved up in class and now feels cut off from her roots like bunches of flowers she used to sell in London. Eliza and Kit are alike.

But when Kit meets Lewis, the scenes and shots are different. In the wide shots, colors are bright. Not muted like when he's in his hotel room. Lewis is also tall, lean and smart. He's a Black American in the clothing business, clothing that is sold in Saigon. They two met online. With Lewis, Kit is more relaxed. And he smiles. He's not alone in the shot. We see them together. Lewis is warm and honest. There is a trace of sadness behind the eyes. To the childhood friend, the slightly nervous Kit gave gifts he later regrets. He feels they were patronizing. In the company of Lewis, the at ease Kit sweetly says, "This is nice." Kit tells Lewis about his life and his journey to Saigon. Will Kit find some sense of belonging? Will he feel like a stranger in a strange land for his entire homecoming trip -- especially after he visits Hanoi? Can we balance the differences of our past and present? Here's a trailer for MONSOON, a fresh look at the immigrant experience.

Let me tell you right that the kissing scenes Kit has with Lewis are absolutely delicious. There are excellent, subtle, moving performances from Parker Sawyers as Lewis and David Tran as Kit's childhood friend, Lee.

Here's why GOOD MORNING AMERICA irritated me. Full disclosure: I worked for ABC New in 2000 as the weekly entertainment editor and film reviewer on a live weekday ABC News magazine show that aired on Lifetime TV. Henry Golding was a live guest on GOOD MORNING AMERICA, booked to talk about, among other things, his new 2020 release called MONSOON. He was a lively, likeable guest and was given a generous amount of time. Never, when describing MONSOON, did the anchor conducting the interview or any other anchor mention that Golding's character was a gay British male seeing his Asian roots during a trip to Vietnam. Before 2017's CALL ME BY YOUR NAME got top Oscar nominations, actor Armie Hammer was a live in-studio guest on GOOD MORNING AMERICA. A clip of him dancing in a nightlife scene from the movie was shown and the anchors lightly teased him about his dancing. No anchor ever mentioned that the movie was centered on the tender, complicated 1980s summer romance in Italy between two visiting American males. The gayness was omitted from the interview. Just last month, ABC News aired a one-hour 20/20 special devoted to the late John Ritter. Entertainment anchor Chris Connolly talked about and showed a clip from the 1996 classic, SLING BLADE. I'm sure I am not the only person who feels John Ritter should've been a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nominee for that touching, memorable performance. Ritter played a schoolteacher in a conservative Southern town. He's a gentle, paternal, protective gay man who will save a young boy from certain physical abuse. His being gay was a key element to the story. At no time did Chris Connolly mention that the character way gay.

ABC News boasts openly gay anchors/reporters Robin Roberts and Gio Benitez. GMA gleefully books openly gay celebrities. Then why the sheepishness from news reporters in telling the public that those three movie characters were gay? With it happening three times, the omission to me -- as a regular viewer and a gay man -- felt deliberate. I hope I'm wrong.

If ABC News had kept me as an entertainment contributor after its Lifetime TV show was cancelled, and if I had been added to GOOD MORNING AMERICA, I would've mentioned the those movie characters were gay and worth seeing by LGBTQ moviegoers.

MONSOON, with a fine performance by Henry Golding, runs 1 hour and 25 minutes. Written and directed by Vietnam refugee Hong Khaou, MONSOON is currently on Netflix.