It’s a late evening in 2019. Elizabeth Ai, a Vietnamese American filmmaker, exuberantly hangs out with friends outside of a nightclub. As Elizabeth enters with her cohort, her soft-spoken narration reveals her current purpose: “I just had a baby six months ago - and there I was, at a club…chasing a story.” This is the onset of Elizabeth’s feisty exploration into her Vietnamese music culture - specifically, her examination of “new wave” - the popular 80’s musical phenomenon that featured Vietnamese artists/singers with big hairstyles, defiant attitudes and joyful, infectious vibes. Elizabeth was swept up by the vivacious “new wave” throughout her childhood, while being raised by her aunt Myra amidst a strained relationship with her mother. Now as a new mother, Elizabeth links up with “new wave” stalwarts like singer Lynda Trang Đài and Ian “DJ BPM” Nguyen to further reflect on the nostalgia & kitsch of “new wave” - from the boisterous apex of this phenomenon to its struggles when idiosyncratic artists sought inclusion in the wider American pop culture scene. 

Ai’s commanding exploration of cultural identity and community resilience makes for an intimate, emotionally-attuned watch. Bolstered by a treasure trove of archival footage of irreverent musical performances (with big hairstyles galore), New Wave is ultimately a love letter to a determined community striving for acceptance.––Jose Rodriguez

Elizabeth Ai