British Vietnamese filmmaker Chi Thai is quietly making a name for herself in the British film industry. Known for her role as a producer on various short and feature films, including SXSW award winner Raging Grace, Thai is now taking on the role of director in a short that debuted at SXSW 2024.
Starring Jan Le, Lullaby explores grief and the immigrant experience as a young woman (Le) is forced to confront her past.
Although it is 14 minutes long, Lullaby offers a layered narrative. The short is based on a tragic true story, so there is a semblance of heart amid a personal memory from Thai’s own immigrant experience to the UK. The inclusion of additional characters – such as an unnamed party who keeps phoning and the protagonist’s critical mother – hints promise of something deeper and wider, but the premise focuses on the young woman. As her loneliness becomes increasingly prominent, it becomes evident that this woman doesn’t want anyone to reach her – or she doesn’t want to be reached.
The mostly silent Lullaby takes place in a murky house that looks worse for wear. The nameless protagonist doesn’t seem to mind – choosing to spend her time doing chores in a life of silent solitude. The depth of her loneliness emphasises the film’s sound effects such as loud phone rings, water drops, and creaky doors, which exude an unsettling presence that haunts the protagonist.
Thai’s atmospheric direction brings chills without relying on jump scares and gore, with swirls of black ink symbolising an impending darkness that threatens to ruin the protagonist’s quiet life – a realisation that comes into fruition in the later part of the film, where she confronts past ghosts and with it, her grief, amid a well-executed, water-filled scene reminiscent of Stephen King’s It. In a startling and poignant climax, Thai eloquently encapsulates the character’s struggle with heartbreak – involving a gentle moment of acceptance – only to replace it with an unexpected instance of hair-raising terror. Jon Clarke’s score and Amy Addison’s smart production design aid in the flip in the atmosphere while Le delicately conveys the emotions of a grieving mother and her inability to move on.
Lullaby is a thoughtful and evocative debut from Chi Thai, skillfully using silence to express difficult emotions. As it is a short film, there is promise of a bigger story – so we should watch this space.
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Director: Chi Thai
Stars: Jan Le, Rei Sayuri Hatchard, Le Thi Tu Anh,
Runtime: 14 minutes
Country: UK
