Filial piety versus love, and film versus the audience.

Actress Huong Giang plays the wife Xuan, Meritorious Artist Thuy Lien plays the feisty mother-in-law, and Tien Loc plays the husband named Loc in "Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love" - ​​Photo: screenshot.

"Side of Filial Piety, Side of Love" is produced using a short-form filmmaking technique, shot in a vertical frame format, suitable for the mindset of young audiences who frequently browse on their phones today.

"Filial Piety vs. Love" tells the story of the tense relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, told through the story of the couple Loc and Xuan. Each episode is just over three minutes long but has received thousands of comments and shares.

It's frustrating to watch, but I still watch it.

With each passing episode, viewers are increasingly outraged by the unreasonable mother-in-law and the lazy second son who only lives off his older brother and sister-in-law.

Not only that, they also played all sorts of tricks, spread rumors, and even tried to sabotage Xuan and Loc's family life.

Initially, Loc's husband defended his mother and younger brother out of love for them, even when they had bad habits. But as time went on, he himself could no longer tolerate the wrongdoings of his family members...

Actress Huong Giang after a scene from "Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love" - ​​Photo: FBNV

Watching "Filial Piety vs. Love ," viewers can pick out a whole basketful of flaws, and each one is quite significant.

"A science fiction movie," "Selling a house that's not in your name and still managing to sell it?", "The mother is clearly colluding to cover up the crime, yet the movie says she didn't report it."

"Online lawyers advising on filmmaking"... these are some of the comments viewers have made about the film. However, despite a host of flaws, viewers are still watching and sharing it enthusiastically.

Perhaps " Between Filial Piety and Love" attracts viewers because the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law theme is always a topic of interest to many people.

In addition, this is the first time a film streamed on social media has brought together so many famous and talented actors from the small screen.

Huong Giang plays the role of Xuan, a wife who marries far from home but is repeatedly plotted against and harmed by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

When Xuân finally stood up and couldn't hold back any longer, many female viewers were overjoyed.

Tien Loc is also a familiar face on television, playing the role of a husband caught between love and filial duty.

Pham Long's portrayal of Phuc's wicked younger brother was so intense that many people vented their anger on his Facebook page. Meritorious Artist Thuy Lien was also impressed by the shrewish mother-in-law who treated her two sons with favoritism.

Where the audience is, the filmmaker is.

Each episode is only about three minutes long. Therefore, many people say the show is good but too short. Some even joked, "This is the first time I've watched a movie and didn't dare blink. I was afraid the movie would end if I blinked."

Even in the blink of an eye, every episode cleverly incorporates a plot twist that escalates the story to a climax, causing frustration and making viewers feel enraged and eager to see the outcome. This is clearly a success for the screenwriter and director.

Scene from the film "Between Filial Piety and Love" - ​​Photo: Screenshot from a clip

Director Ton Nguyen said he was happy that the film was well-received, although there were many positive reviews but also quite a few negative ones.

"Where the audience is, the filmmaker is. 'Filial Piety vs. Love' is a film that follows this trend."

I work on many types of films, from television to feature films (Ton Nguyen is the assistant director of the currently trending theatrical film "Peach, Pho and Piano"), and I have relationships with actors and production teams, so it's easy to invite well-known television actors to appear in films streamed on social media.

"I think the actors played a very important role in the film's success," the director of " Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love " explained.

Currently, there are many short "video clips" circulating on social media platforms, in a wide variety of genres and qualities.

But a long-running series, with significant investment and a cast of top-notch actors like "Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love ," is rare.

The hateful mother-in-law in the film "Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love" - ​​Photo: DPCC

One thing that viewers appreciate is that the movie viewing experience is not disrupted by the excessive and intrusive advertisements that have plagued some films streamed on digital platforms recently.

"We blurred the branding of some products featured in the film so that viewers wouldn't be bothered by the advertisements," director Ton Nguyen said.

The question then arises: will the rise of online streaming films like "Beside Filial Piety, Beside Love " pose a challenge to traditional television dramas?

Director Ton Nguyen replied: "The two audiences are completely different, so I think there won't be much competition. But films released on the same digital platform will compete fiercely."

"And gradually, good products with clean content, focusing on positive aspects of life, will replace the unhealthy content that currently dominates social media."

Meanwhile, An Nguyen, a viewer working in the media industry, commented: "Films on social media platforms often attract busy young audiences who like to watch something short and with substance."

As for TV series, they're aimed at a slightly older audience with more free time. So, I think having a variety of shows across different genres will create a diverse menu for viewers to choose from.

And the competition, in my opinion, stemming from films released on social media that are well-received, will prompt content producers to re-evaluate and invest more in their products, making Vietnamese films more appealing to audiences regardless of the platform."

The series "Filial Piety vs. Love" has 29 episodes, each approximately three minutes long. The total running time is over 90 minutes, equivalent to about three television episodes (45 minutes/episode).

According to director Ton Nguyen, by episode 27, the series had attracted 120 million views on the Com Suon website and 55 million views on the M News website.

In addition, there are many other platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok that haven't been included in the statistics. This is a very high number for films streamed on social media.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ben-hieu-ben-tinh-va-phim-ben-khan-gia-20240301093028091.htm