The film "Red Land "—scheduled for release in 2027—chooses a more direct and gritty approach to the journey of the heroine Vo Thi Sau, placing the character between harsh choices and the brutality of war. However, the biggest challenge of the project lies not only in recreating the historical context, but also in finding an actress capable of embodying an icon deeply ingrained in the memories of many generations of Vietnamese people.
A single inaccurate detail will provoke a negative reaction from the audience.
Vo Thi Sau is a unique figure, both feminine and ordinary, yet possessing extraordinary courage when facing death.
The primary criterion for selecting an actress to play Vo Thi Sau was not her appearance, but her inner character. The project aimed to portray a stubborn, cheerful 13-year-old girl living in the Long My war zone and the Ba Ria base area during the fierce years of war.
A representative of the production team confirmed to Tien Phong newspaper that this was an exceptionally high pressure, because even a single inaccurate detail or emotion that didn't reflect the spirit of the era would immediately provoke a negative reaction from the audience. Therefore, the crucial principle was to avoid distorting historical facts or the image of national heroes. Throughout the seven years of preparation, the team had to rewrite the script almost every year. Only after the sixth version did the film crew feel confident enough to move into the pre-production phase.
"The biggest challenge lay in balancing the ordinary appearance of a young girl with the extraordinary spirit of someone willing to face death for an ideal. After the first round of casting, the producer and director spent a lot of time discussing the character's demeanor. Most importantly, the character's spirit lies in the actress's eyes, lips, and forehead—whether she can convey the strong personality and mental fortitude of the heroine Vo Thi Sau," the producer said.
The team emphasized that they weren't trying to find a famous face at all costs, but rather to find an actor capable of "disappearing" so that the character could emerge on screen.
Making films about historical figures always comes with special pressure, especially with an icon like Vo Thi Sau. The historical data for the film is not only based on textbooks or archival documents, but is also verified through various sources such as memoirs, photographic materials, eyewitness accounts, and even folk tales that are still passed down.
However, filmmaking is not documentary filmmaking. The team felt that the most difficult thing was maintaining the "spiritual truth" of the characters.
"There are historical gaps where documents fail to capture the emotions, gazes, or thoughts of people at that time, and cinema must recreate them through artistic language. But films can use fiction to enrich emotions; they must not distort the essence of history or the image of national heroes," said producer Hoang Quan.
Therefore, the pressure on the actress is even greater. Not only must she recreate the familiar image, but the actress playing Vo Thi Sau must also convince the audience of the character's psychological depth and spirit. According to the crew, some scenes require the actress to not "act," but to convey the feeling that the character has truly overcome loss, fear, and a life ideal greater than herself.
The harsh test
The casting of a young Gen Z actress as Vo Thi Sau has sparked much debate, as the gaze and demeanor of someone who has endured the hardships of war are difficult to imitate. However, the filmmakers of "Red Land" believe that the generation gap is not the biggest issue.
"What audiences are worried about isn't actually the Gen Z demographic, but rather the fear of superficiality," a project representative said. Audiences will immediately realize if the actors merely imitate the appearance or deliver lines in a stylized manner, because the image of Vo Thi Sau is associated with an indomitable revolutionary spirit.
To prepare for the role, the actor was required to undergo historical research, practice demeanor and body language, and participate in military training before filming began. The film crew also planned for the actor to study revolutionary ideology in order to better understand the spirit of the era in which the character lived.
The important thing is whether the actor has the discipline to step out of their modern life and truly embody the character.
In the context of Vietnamese cinema increasingly boldly exploring historical themes using more modern language, the film "Red Land" faces a major challenge: to both innovate the storytelling and maintain the solemnity of an immortal symbol in the hearts of the public.
And at the heart of that challenge, the role of Vo Thi Sau will undoubtedly be the most rigorous test for both the crew and the chosen actress.
Many generations of Vietnamese people grew up with books and poems about the heroic girl from Dat Do. From a fifteen-year-old girl enthusiastically joining the revolution, to a young woman calmly pinning flowers in her hair before the enemy's guns, she became an immortal legend in the hearts of the people.
The biggest concern for the manufacturer.
Many literary works have honored the image of the heroine Vo Thi Sau. The legend of Con Son Island by author Phan Thi Thanh Nhan describes: "A young girl / Taken to the execution ground by the enemy / Walking between two rows of soldiers / Still calmly smiling / Plucking a fresh flower / She pinned it to her hair / Her head held high, unyielding / Even in the moment of sacrifice."
Author Le Quang Vinh, in his book "Sister Sau in Con Dao," wrote: "At the age of fifteen, Vo Thi Sau enthusiastically joined the revolution. With courage and intelligence, she achieved many victories."
Nearly 30 years ago, two other films about the heroine Vo Thi Sau, " The Daughter of the Red Land" (directed by Le Dan) and "Like a Legend" (directed by Pham Vu), also garnered significant attention.
In The Daughter of the Red Soil , People's Artist Thanh Thúy played the role of Võ Thị Sáu. At that time, the actress was very young and not yet a prominent face in Vietnamese cinema. However, it was her simple appearance, resolute eyes, and emotionally rich voice that captivated the audience.
At the casting call for "Red Land ," producer Nguyen Cao Tung admitted that this was also the biggest concern for the team throughout the project's development, and it wasn't until script version 6.2 that the team truly found a suitable way to tell the story.
The challenge of this project lies not only in respecting history or recounting true stories, but also in telling those stories in a way that today's young audience can appreciate. "We can't go back to the way historical films were made 30 years ago. The film must have something that makes young people want to watch it, want to connect emotionally with it, and feel closer to the story," shared Mr. Nguyen Cao Tung.
The film doesn't directly explore the war. Instead, we focus on the journey of a heroine, delving deeper into the person, emotions, and growth of the heroine Vo Thi Sau.
Source: https://tienphong.vn/ai-vao-vai-chi-vo-thi-sau-post1844563.tpo
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