The indie film and TV
production company A24 has announced their plans to release a theatrical
adaptation of Ocean Vuong’s novel “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” The
critically acclaimed book delves into the life of Little Dog, a
first-generation Vietnamese American immigrant living in Connecticut, his
relationship with his mother and grandmother, and his subsequent romance with a
white man. It carefully explores the nuances of the immigrant experience,
complicated family dynamics, and living and dating as a gay Asian man in
America.
Published in June 2019,
the book became No. 6 on the New York Times’ bestseller list and was named one
of the top 10 books of 2019 by the Washington Post. Ocean Vuong stated that his
book is a mirrored interpretation of his own life. The story is told in a
nonlinear structure and is formatted as a letter to his illiterate mother,
Hong.
A24 has stated the film
is still early in its development and has remained silent about casting and
release date details. “On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous” explores and questions
topics of addiction, violence, race, class, and masculinity, and the feature
film will aim to illustrate all these topics and the added devastating effects
of being both silenced and unheard.
By: Celeste Woojoo Roh
Published in: Artistry Magazine