Crying in H Mart

The house feels claustrophobic after Chongmi’s death, so Michelle and her dad decide to take a trip. They settle on Vietnam. But as they move from one beautiful sight to the next, Michelle and her dad weep in silence, unsure of what to say to each other. They end their days with Xanax or beer, and they both shudder when hotel attendants mistake them for a couple. Neither Michelle nor her dad know how to explain Chongmi’s absence to the people around them.

One night at dinner, Michelle’s father gets drunk and starts talking to a waitress, telling her that he and Michelle are “foodies.” Her dad’s behavior makes Michelle a little nauseous, so she leaves most of her salad uneaten. Though Michelle protests, her dad insists on sending the salad back, saying it’s “too fishy.” Michelle and her dad then start publicly squabbling, and her dad shouts that “your mother warned me not to let you take advantage of me.”

Now that her dad has thrown Chongmi’s words at her, Michelle does the same, and each accuses the other of being cruel or neglectful to the dead woman. In a haze, Michelle rushes out of the restaurant, and she ends up at a small karaoke bar. Michelle is the only tourist there, but she befriends a young, local woman named Quing. Quing wants to be a singer, and her love of music reminds Michelle how much confidence and hope music used to give her, too.

Michelle sings “Rainy Days and Mondays,” the song she and Peter shared their first dance to. The heavy reverb on the microphone makes Michelle sound amazing. Quing sings “My Heart Will Go On,” which makes Michelle think of her mom’s old Celine Dion impressions. The next day, Michelle and her father go to a city named Hội An, not knowing that the name translates to “peaceful meeting place.”