Timothy Linh Bui’s Daydreamers takes a different approach to vampire mythology. In this story, vampires fled from Europe to Indochina hundreds of years ago. In an attempt to preserve themselves and ensure the survival of their species, they made a pact to not kill any humans unless their secret was ever exposed.
In the present day, Nhat (Tran Ngoc Vang) lives in a riverboat community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, among other vampires who believe they may become human if they reject their inherent desire for blood long enough. His world gets turned upside down when his brother, Marco (Thuan Nguyen), returns, telling him of a wondrous life in the city where vampires live among humans and enjoy themselves in full view – no hiding, no shame. Marco introduces his brother to his crew, including Trieu (Chi Pu), but Nhat’s night out takes a wrong turn when he mistakenly exposes himself as a vampire to Ha (Trinh Thao), whom he meets at a nightclub. Nhat knows what he needs to do, as do the other vampires, but he chooses to protect Ha rather than kill her. Due to Nhat’s actions, this sets off a chain of events that threaten both his life and his relationship with Marco. Mild spoilers for Daydreamers to follow.
You don’t need to look too hard to see the influence of The Lost Boys on Daydreamers. From the fact that vampires look cooler than humans to the ponderous theme of being forever young, Joel Schumacher’s famous vamp flick provides a drop or two of its own blood to Timothy Linh Bui’s film. In addition to this, Daydreamers borrows the visual language of Blade – especially the legendary blood rave scene – incorporating brooding but enticing cinematography whereby the thrill of danger takes over the senses.
While Daydreamers wears its influences on its sleeves, the story is where it sinks its fangs into the audience. Nhat dreams of a world where he can be cured of vampirism and walk among humans as one of them. He becomes enchanted by his brother’s lifestyle and how Marco and his friends live out of the shadows – free and fearless. However, there’s a part of him that worries he’ll never be able to curb the monster inside of him. When his secret is exposed to Ha, he tests whether there’s any humanity left in him, or if he’s only trying to delay the inevitable. It’s this journey that forces him to make tough choices and discover his true identity – is he a monster led by impulse and loyalty to his brethren or something more? Bui keeps the audience guessing, while also forcing the other characters to ask the same question of themselves.
For the first two acts, Daydreamers delivers an instant and artistic classic that’s rich with complex emotions and thought-provoking themes. However, the third act turns out messy. At one point, the film reaches a natural conclusion – only to continue for an extra 30 minutes. Watching this, it’s reminiscent of how Matt Remick and his crew feel after watching Ron Howard’s Alphabet City in The Studio – it just never ends. The additional half hour presents a conundrum, since there are important bits that address and wrap up the overall storyline (and the ending proves to be a powerful exchange between Nhat and Marco), but one wonders if this couldn’t have been reworked in a different, more compact way to shave off the fluff.
Another weakness of Daydreamers is the number of auxiliary characters who receive far too much screen time and additional information. And not all of them needed their own subplots here. By trimming away this fat, it could have tightened up the story and focused more on the central protagonists and antagonists. Look, the core is there and in the spotlight, but it could have been burned brighter without the distractions.
The flaws aside, Daydreamers still confirms itself as a bold, new addition to the vampire lore. The setting and its characters allow Timothy Linh Bui to tell a story that’s never been told before, creating a unique experience for viewers to witness something that isn’t based in the usual places of Transylvania, London, or America. If you’re a fan of these creatures of the night, Daydreamers is the fresh blood that the genre has desperately needed for a long time.
Daydreamers arrives in U.S. theaters on May 2, then on digital platforms on June 3.
In the present day, Nhat (Tran Ngoc Vang) lives in a riverboat community in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, among other vampires who believe they may become human if they reject their inherent desire for blood long enough. His world gets turned upside down when his brother, Marco (Thuan Nguyen), returns, telling him of a wondrous life in the city where vampires live among humans and enjoy themselves in full view – no hiding, no shame. Marco introduces his brother to his crew, including Trieu (Chi Pu), but Nhat’s night out takes a wrong turn when he mistakenly exposes himself as a vampire to Ha (Trinh Thao), whom he meets at a nightclub. Nhat knows what he needs to do, as do the other vampires, but he chooses to protect Ha rather than kill her. Due to Nhat’s actions, this sets off a chain of events that threaten both his life and his relationship with Marco. Mild spoilers for Daydreamers to follow.
A fang-tastic tribute to vampire movies of the past
You don’t need to look too hard to see the influence of The Lost Boys on Daydreamers. From the fact that vampires look cooler than humans to the ponderous theme of being forever young, Joel Schumacher’s famous vamp flick provides a drop or two of its own blood to Timothy Linh Bui’s film. In addition to this, Daydreamers borrows the visual language of Blade – especially the legendary blood rave scene – incorporating brooding but enticing cinematography whereby the thrill of danger takes over the senses.
While Daydreamers wears its influences on its sleeves, the story is where it sinks its fangs into the audience. Nhat dreams of a world where he can be cured of vampirism and walk among humans as one of them. He becomes enchanted by his brother’s lifestyle and how Marco and his friends live out of the shadows – free and fearless. However, there’s a part of him that worries he’ll never be able to curb the monster inside of him. When his secret is exposed to Ha, he tests whether there’s any humanity left in him, or if he’s only trying to delay the inevitable. It’s this journey that forces him to make tough choices and discover his true identity – is he a monster led by impulse and loyalty to his brethren or something more? Bui keeps the audience guessing, while also forcing the other characters to ask the same question of themselves.
Where ‘Daydreamers’ loses its bite
For the first two acts, Daydreamers delivers an instant and artistic classic that’s rich with complex emotions and thought-provoking themes. However, the third act turns out messy. At one point, the film reaches a natural conclusion – only to continue for an extra 30 minutes. Watching this, it’s reminiscent of how Matt Remick and his crew feel after watching Ron Howard’s Alphabet City in The Studio – it just never ends. The additional half hour presents a conundrum, since there are important bits that address and wrap up the overall storyline (and the ending proves to be a powerful exchange between Nhat and Marco), but one wonders if this couldn’t have been reworked in a different, more compact way to shave off the fluff.
Another weakness of Daydreamers is the number of auxiliary characters who receive far too much screen time and additional information. And not all of them needed their own subplots here. By trimming away this fat, it could have tightened up the story and focused more on the central protagonists and antagonists. Look, the core is there and in the spotlight, but it could have been burned brighter without the distractions.
Add ‘Daydreamers’ to your watchlist
The flaws aside, Daydreamers still confirms itself as a bold, new addition to the vampire lore. The setting and its characters allow Timothy Linh Bui to tell a story that’s never been told before, creating a unique experience for viewers to witness something that isn’t based in the usual places of Transylvania, London, or America. If you’re a fan of these creatures of the night, Daydreamers is the fresh blood that the genre has desperately needed for a long time.
Daydreamers arrives in U.S. theaters on May 2, then on digital platforms on June 3.