“Mai” is a 2024 film written and directed by Tran Thanh. It features a talented cast, including Huynh Uyen Ah as Binh Minh, Hong Dao as Dao, Phuong Anh Dao as Mai, Ngoc Giau as Ma Mi, Quoc Khanh as Bobby, and Tuan Tran as Duong. The story revolves around Mai, who decides to give herself another chance and falls in love with her neighbor, not knowing it would pain her even further.
Mai (2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis:
As mentioned above, the titular character is Mai, whose life has been anything but easy. She’s a middle-aged woman juggling a plethora of problems, from financial struggles to a rocky love life. Mai works as a massage therapist, where the pay is decent, but the hours are long. Thanks to her exceptional skills, she’s the most sought-after therapist among her clients. Mai has a daughter named Bin Minh. She has dropped out of school and is currently living with her grandfather, who happens to be a gambler deep in debt to some dangerous people. All of this adds to Mai’s never-ending list of challenges.
Since Mai is single and on her own, men in the neighborhood often eye her, while their wives hurl hurtful names and treat Mai like she’s garbage. Rumors fly about her being a sex worker or having a sugar daddy. Basically, the more people talk, the wilder the assumptions get. Living across from Mai’s flat is Duong, a playboy who rarely spends his nights with the Duonge date because none of them seem to catch his heart. Everything changes when Duong runs into Mai on the building staircase. What follows is a passionate romance between a struggling single mother and a wealthy playboy, sparking a connection neither of them expected.
How did love blossom between Mai & Duong?
After their first meeting, Duong keeps running into Mai. The second time is when he visits her massage establishment. From that point on, Duong becomes a regular, just to see Mai every day. Despite his best efforts to befriend her, Mai rejects all his advances. Even when Duong steps in to defend her from the hurtful words of their jealous and bullying neighbors, Mai remains distant. These neighbors, with nothing better to do, constantly bully and bother Mai, maybe out of jealousy over her beauty and the fact that the most handsome guy in the building is interested in her.
However, everything changes when Duong beats up a pervert who tries to force himself on Mai. After that, Mai begins to see Duong in a new light. No longer just the good-looking playboy who hits on every woman, Duong becomes someone she can trust. Mai and Duong start spending hours together, talking about their lives, favorite songs, and everything in between. A few months later, Mai starts to ghost him, thinking Duong might be uncomfortable with her having a daughter. But when Duong makes it clear that he has no issue with Mai and her daughter, they officially start dating. That Duonge night, Duong blocks all the numbers of the women he used to spend his nights with, proving he’s truly fallen for Mai.
What happens between Mai & Trinh?
At Mai’s place of work, there’s a woman named Trinh who despises Mai with a passion and blames her for everything wrong in her life. Since Mai is a skilled and polite massage therapist, all the clients request her services. This leaves the other therapists, including Trinh, bored and missing out on good tips. When Trinh asks Mai to share her secrets and explain why clients favor her, Mai simply replies that she isn’t doing anything special. However, Trinh’s jealousy blinds her to the point where she thinks Mai is giving sexual favors to her clients. Hell-bent on beating Mai, Trinh decides to offer sexual favors to her own clients. However, even that doesn’t help her snag the top spot.
One day, Mai catches Trinh in the act with a client. When Mai confronts her, Trinh lashes out, calling her names and telling her to save the moral lectures. Mai knows that the reputation of massage therapists is already on thin ice. Therefore, if people find out about Trinh’s actions, it would further tarnish the profession to the point of no return. However, Trinh doesn’t care about anything except raking in big tips and destroying Mai’s reputation.
In one such attempt, Trinh locks Mai in the parlor’s toilet for an entire night. When Trinh gets a warning for her shady tactics, she blames Mai and even slaps her. This is the last straw for Mai, and everything she has endured drives her to stand up for herself and fight for her self-respect. After a heated verbal and physical confrontation, Mai decides to quit her job as well.
Why did Duong’s parents object to his relationship with Mai?
After dating for a while, Duong decides it’s high time he introduces Mai to his family. Unfortunately, Duong’s family, especially his mother and grandmother, aren’t thrilled to learn that Duong is dating a middle-aged masseuse with a daughter. It’s clear from Mai’s face how awkward she feels during dinner with Duong’s family. That night, Mai can’t stop the tears from flowing, feeling that her tarnished profession has robbed her of the chance at a fulfilling and happy life.
Duong’s mother, who also happens to be one of Mai’s clients, meets Mai again for a private conversation. She tries to convince Mai to break it off with Duong. Given that Duong’s mom has done a lot for Mai, including getting her father and daughter jobs, Mai feels she has no choice but to agree and end things with Duong. But Duong, head over heels for Mai, isn’t ready to give up. Duong is determined to prove himself. Hence, he hands back all his mom’s credit cards and takes on any job he can find to stand on his own feet. Duong pleads with Mai for some time, promising that he’ll succeed and find a stable job so she doesn’t have to worry about a thing. Eventually, Mai and Duong reunite and decide to get married and spend the rest of life together.
Why did Duong & Mia split up again?
One night, Duong’s mother invites them over for dinner and apologizes to Mai for her previous harsh words. As a gesture of goodwill, she even promises to sponsor Mai’s daughter’s education at a prestigious college in Switzerland. However, she still objects to Duong and Mai’s relationship and reveals that before becoming a masseuse, Mai worked as a sex worker. She claims Mai got pregnant during those days and had Bin Minh. Mai’s father backs these claims, saying that Duong’s family has a right to know about her past. It’s clear he’s motivated by money and doesn’t care about his daughter’s feelings. Despite all the drama, Duong doesn’t change his mind and makes it clear that he still wants to marry Mai and doesn’t care about her past.
When the situation gets heated, Duong’s mother suffers a stroke, leaving her paralyzed on the left side. Mai’s greedy father also tumbles down the staircase and passes away. Following all this chaos, Mai decides that their love is causing more harm than good and chooses to break up. She tells Duong to forget her and not wait, as they can’t be together. With tears in his eyes, Duong begs her to reconsider, but Mai has already made up her mind.
Mai (2024) Movie Ending Explained:
Did Mai & Duong get their happy ending?
The story shifts to four years later. We see Mai, who is now a successful businesswoman and runs a lavish holiday hotel. After wrapping up a business deal one day, Mai runs into Duong, who is now married. Duong’s mother is also there, and it’s clear from her eyes that she feels guilty for separating them. Duong asks Mai if they can be friends. But Mai shrugs him off, saying it’s not a good idea since Duong has a wife and is soon to become a father. The film ends with both of them wishing each other happiness and fulfillment in their lives. Thus, to answer your question, no, Duong & Mai didn’t get their deserved happy ending.
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