Like the other abundantly cautious among us, I won’t be hopping on a plane to visit my aging parents this Lunar New Year for our reunion dinner. If you’re bunkering down at home alone like me (again!) this Lunar New Year, SBS on Demand’s Lunar New Year Collection has got you covered.
Ring in the Year of the Tiger with these films now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Royal Bride
If you enjoyed the flashy escapism provided by Crazy Rich Asians, The Royal Bride should definitely be on your watchlist! The Royal Bride is the third instalment of ‘Gai Gia Lam Chieu’, a series of Vietnamese films, directed by Namcito and Bảo Nhân, with a focus on career-driven young women and their convoluted love lives.
In The Royal Bride, the talented TV host Quyen receives a proposal from her long-time boyfriend Jack. Like the premise of Crazy Rich Asians, Quyen travels to Jack’s hometown in Hue, only to discover that Jack is not only from one of the wealthiest families in Vietnam but is also a member of the Royal family. Quyen remains spirited as she faces off against a meddling, future mother-in-law.
If you are after a good laugh, The Royal Bride delivers with a delicious side dish of family tension.
The Royal Bride is streaming at SBS On Demand till 12 February.
A Journey of Happiness
Reeling from the recent death of their mother, the Hong Kong-based Siew siblings – Siew Beng, Siew Shen and Siew Lup – bring their widowed father to Malaysia for some quality family bonding time.
A Journey of Happiness is a Malaysian–Hong Kong Cantonese-language comedy that spotlights family dysfunction among the Siew siblings who, apart from sharing the same parents, don’t have much in common. Siew Beng is a real estate agent who tells tall tales to get sales, Siew Shen is a flamboyant tour guide and Siew Lup is an unemployed wannabe social media influencer.
A highlight of A Journey of Happiness was the catchy Lunar New Year song which combined Cantonese, Mandarin and Hokkien, a common cacophony of Chinese dialects heard at Malaysian-Chinese dinner tables.
A Journey of Happiness is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Accidentally Dad
A 2020 Vietnamese movie directed by Dong Dang Giao, Accidentally Dad introduces us to successful (and single) doctor Tung Son. Que Phuong, a single mother with a gambling habit that causes her to drown in debt, sets her eyes on Dr Son. Enlisting the help of her seven-year-old daughter, Que Phuong scams Dr Son into thinking he fathered her child.
Unfortunately for Que Phuong, a DNA test reveals to Dr Son that he is not the father but by then Dr Son has already formed a bond with Que Phuong’s daughter who receives a (real) cancer diagnosis.
Accidentally Dad is now streaming at SBS On Demand, but only till 19 February.
Soul Snatcher
A big box-office hit in China, Soul Snatcher is a historical fantasy Chinese film with sumptuous visuals and an emotional soundtrack. A shapeshifting fox demon, Bai Shisan, befriends a poor scholar named Wang Zijin who is on his way to Beijing to sit an exam. The crafty Bai is on the hunt for a magic pill to achieve immortality. Together Bai and Wang team up to battle against mythical creatures and evil spirits on their pilgrimage.
If you’re after a heart-warming bromance and a tear-jerker ending, look no further than Soul Snatcher.
Soul Snatcher is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
Burning
Burning is a South Korean psychological thriller based on a story by bestselling Japanese author Haruki Murakami. Beginning with a hypnotic love triangle, Burning, like fellow South Korean film Parasite (also now ), examines the stark class and gender inequalities in a slow-burning way but let me reassure you, your patience will be rewarded.
Burning introduces us to Jong-Su, an aspiring author, who runs into Hae-Mi, an old childhood neighbour. Just when you think Jong-Su and Hae-Mi are going to get together, Hae-Mi introduces Ben, her wealthy new love interest with an odd hobby: burning down greenhouses. Burning is steeped in chilling symbolism and if you were a fan of Parasite or White Lotus, you will love Burning.
Burning is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
The Legend of Wu Kong
The Legend of Wu Kong is a fun prequel to the popular Journey to the West series which first introduced us to the Monkey King. Set five hundred years before the great Monkey King (Sun Wu Kong) wreaks havoc on heaven and earth, The Legend of Wu Kong shows us a young Sun Wu Kong who navigates a series of tricky escapades which shape him to become the legendary (but cheeky) martial arts maestro that we know and love.
If you’re after something light-hearted and playful, give The Legend of Wu Kong a go.
The Legend of Wu Kong is now streaming at SBS On Demand.
See the full Lunar New Year collection , and check out more programming across SBS to celebrate the Year of the Water Tiger:
