My Best Gay Friends

My Best Gay Friends (Vietnamese: Bộ ba đĩ thõa, roughly translated as The Bitchy Trio) is a Vietnamese web series that debuted on YouTube in 2012. Considered to be the first gay sitcom in Vietnam, it has garnered a large following, receiving about two million views per episode despite being made on a shoestring budget.[1][2] It is the brainchild of openly gay film student Huỳnh Nguyễn Đăng Khoa, who directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the series.[3] The series centers on the lives of three young gay housemates who share an apartment in Ho Chi Minh City.

Production

According to director Huỳnh Nguyễn Đăng Khoa, he conceived the series after hearing Trần Nguyễn Kim Hân (who also stars in the series) recount his "weird and amusing" experience after coming out.[1][3][4] He wanted to portray gay people in a more realistic way, unlike the negative images he often saw in Vietnamese films and comedies. He said, “It’s not right. I’m gay and I see my life as very normal. That’s why I want to bring true images of homosexuals to everyone to change their perspective on us.”[2] He plans to make 15 episodes in total.[1]

Most of the cast and crew are friends of Đăng Khoa, with most of them belonging to the LGBT community in Vietnam. Some other actors, who are not gay, also participate to show their support.[2][5]

Each episode lasts about 20 minutes and takes about 2–3 days to film and edit. Each costs about 1 million VND (50 USD) to create, mostly borne by Đăng Khoa and friends.[3] The crew typically film on location, such as at school, on a bus, or at a market, so they are sometimes ejected from their filming locations.[3]

My Best Gay Friends was filmed using a Canon EOS 600D DSLR camera and a tripod.[2]

The second season, planned to be 15-20 episodes long in the musical format, is slated to begin filming in October 2013.[6]

Cast
Rje, Nhật, and Khoa in a promotional photo

Most of the cast are friends of the director and are members of the LGBT community. The three main characters are:

  • Huỳnh Nguyễn Đăng Khoa (Khoa Loi Nhoi) as Khoa: a college student, he was forced to live independently by his family
  • Trần Nguyễn Kim Hân (Rje Kaj)[7] as Hân (Rje): the owner of the shared apartment, he operates a bún bò stall at a market
  • Ngô Xuân Nhật (Đới Mộng Mộng)[8] as Nhật: a mysterious young man, the third person sharing the apartment

In addition, the following characters sometimes appear in the series:

  • Minh Thành as Thành: Khoa's schoolmate (the actor is one of the few who are not part of the LGBT community)[2]
  • Trần Bảo Bảo as BB Trần: Khoa's schoolmate, a handsome man being pursued by Rje
  • Tống Minh Khang as Tonỳ: a delivery boy at the market where Rje works, he is interested in Rje
  • Magic Quyên as Khoa's mother (the actor is transgender)[2]
  • Cindy Thái Tài as herself

Plot

The plot of the series revolves around the lives of three twenty-something men who share an apartment. Khoa, a college student, was forced to live away from his family so that he can learn to become independent. By chance, he found and rented a room in the apartment where Rje was living, and was soon joined by Nhật. Rje operates a stall selling bún bò (rice vermicelli) at a market, while Nhật has a mysterious past.[9]

The humor in the series arise from the daily lives of the perpetually broke young people who live away from their families, in situations at school, at work, in relationships, but involving gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender characters.[1] Khoa is always unsuccessful in love, but he is always looked after by his good friends. Rje and Nhật vie for the affections of BB Trần, one of Khoa's classmates, while Rje is being pursued at work by a delivery boy. A subplot of the series involves Nhật coming to terms with his past.

Episode 9 of the planned 15-episode series deals with the issue of same-sex marriage. When a lesbian wedding at a restaurant was cancelled, due to being "against Vietnamese tradition and customs", Cindy Thai Tai (the first openly transsexual person in Vietnam) intervened, and the wedding was held at a different venue, to the delight of the couple's friends and family present.[1]

Reception

When it debuted, the series created a "fever" online, attracting many viewers and was widely shared on Facebook.[9] The initial response from the LGBT community was largely positive, and many asked to take part in the series.[9] Many episodes have more than a million views, and the newest episode already received more than half a million views.[1] Filmed using a DSLR camera, it has impressed audiences with its high-quality images.[2]

The series has received support from many online fans; a typical YouTube comment read "I feel a lot of sympathy, and admiration, towards the friendship and love they show for each other. I think they live a more beautiful life than ordinary people."[1] The film debuted during a time when Vietnamese society is rapidly changing its view towards LGBT issues, while the Vietnamese government is considering legalizing same-sex marriage, but it's unclear how much My Best Gay Friends had helped.[1] "I thought it would only interest Vietnam's gay community - but we're hearing that parents, grandparents, whole families watch and love the shows and long for new episodes," said the director.[1] As a result of the series, the main actors have become popular teen idols.[7][8][10][11] Trần Nguyễn Kim Hân, who plays Rje Kaj, actually works at the bun bo stand featured in the series. The stand has become somewhat of an attraction as fans often ask for Hân or take pictures or ask for autographs when he is there. It also has increased business there. It is actually owned Hân's mother, who has expressed her support for the show and her son's sexual orientation. The series was described as "exposing a world of homosexuals that is fun, funny, and healthy."[4] However, because their sexual orientation became public as a result of the series, the actors sometimes face opposition.[3] Ngô Xuân Nhật, who plays one of the three roommates, was condemned by his neighbors and relatives, but supported by his mother, after his sexuality became known.[9]

Despite its online popularity, the director has no plans to broadcast the series on television due to its "rather sensitive" subject matter.[1]

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References
  1. AFP (2013-04-28). "Vietnamese gay sitcom My Best Gay Friends is a YouTube smash hit". News.com.au. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  2. "Vietnam's first gay sitcom goes viral". Tuổi Trẻ. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2013-05-02.
  3. Đồng Diệp Huyền (2012-08-20). "Cậu bạn đồng tính tự làm phim về mình". VnExpress. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  4. TTVN (2012-11-26). "Sinh viên làm phim công khai mình đồng tính "chấn động" giới trẻ". Ngôi Sao. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  5. Online reporters (2013-04-04). "Gay sitcom proves hit in Vietnam". Bangkok Post. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
  6. James Oaten (2013-09-12). "Homosexual sitcom proves online hit but too sensitive for Vietnamese broadcasters". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2013-09-20.
  7. "Câu chuyện cuộc đời xúc động của chàng gay Rje Kaj". Đất Việt. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  8. Netizen (2012-11-27). "Chàng gay Đới Mộng Mộng tung ảnh giả gái gây sốt". VnExpress. Retrieved 2013-05-01.
  9. Nguyễn Thanh Nam (2012-07-07). "Just gay enough". Thanh Niên News. Archived from the original on 2012-07-22. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  10. "Chùm ảnh: Cặp đồng tính hôn nhau dưới nước gây sốt cộng đồng mạng". Soha. 2012-12-26. Retrieved 2013-05-03.
  11. Phương Giang (2013-09-08). "Gặp Đới Mộng Mộng - Chàng Gay đẹp trai đang gây "sốt" nhất hiện nay". Yeah1. Archived from the original on 2013-05-16. Retrieved 2013-05-04.
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