Presentation Schedule
Suggestive Ties, Unspoken Desires: Queerbaiting and Audience Meaning-Making in Song Lang and a Balloon’s Landing (97827)
Session: On Demand
Room: Virtual Video Presentation
Presentation Type:Virtual Presentation
This study analyzes the queerbaiting phenomenon that expresses an ambiguous queer relationship without confirmation in two films, Song Lang (Vietnam) and A Balloon’s Landing (Taiwan). Combining narrative analysis, visual discourse, and fan community feedback, the research indicates that elements (light, dialogues, and character motivations) are used to evoke romantic emotions between male characters. In a different sociopolitical context, Song Lang reflects the reticence of a conservative environment through cải lương, dim lighting, and silence. A Balloon’s Landing represents freer expression after Taiwan’s legalization of same-sex marriage but still maintains ambiguity to appeal to wider audiences. Findings show queerbaiting is not simply a narrative device, but a cultural strategy influenced by law, censorship, market expectations, and active viewer interpretation. The study expands the queerbaiting framework into East and Southeast Asian context, emphasizing the role of meaning-making by the audience community in shaping a contemporary Asian queer cinema space.
Authors:
Liem Bui Quoc, RMIT University Vietnam, Vietnam
About the Presenter(s)
Liem Bui is currently a Lecturer in the faculty of Professional Communication at RMIT University in Vietnam.
See this presentation on the full schedule – On Demand Schedule
Comments
Powered by WP LinkPress