Saigon Metalhood (2020)

• 69%
• 2020
• Documentary
• Music
• Sean Lambe
• William Snyder

Saigon Metalhood follows three generations of Vietnamese metalheads through the turbulent origins of heavy metal in Vietnam to the current struggles of today's scene. Grizzled Saigonese rock legend Trung Thanh Sago got his start as a teen shredding for US soldiers in the old South Vietnam, and represents the "past". He tells his life story, walking us through the origins of rock and metal in Vietnam, and the significant obstacles himself and the scene have faced. Now in the later stages of his life, he speaks about losing his friends to emigration and death, ongoing health problems, and the scene today. Characterising the "present" is former vanguard of Vietnamese extreme music, the luminary Trung Loki, recently back on the scene after a habitual absence. Initially cautious and brooding, he puffs on cigarettes while opening up about lost love, methamphetamine addiction, harrowing rehab experiences and the derailment of the scene he was so instrumental in both building and destroying. Now in his thirties and ostracized by many of his old friends, he travels 500km to his hometown to stage a sequel for a legendary gig that happened over a decade before. The "future" is told through the upstart agency Legacy CO, formed by a young group of friends with the lofty goal of making the Vietnamese metal scene internationally relevant. The boys attempt to make it financially viable to be a metal musician, pushing against an indifferent and sometimes hostile society while balancing their university coursework. They battle against flaky promoters, power cuts and missing instruments in their struggle to promote the genre they love.