Helicopter footage that almost caused a disaster and Vo Hoai Nam's 20-year record

A humane story in the middle of the garbage dump

Released in May 2002, King of the Garbage Dump directed by Do Minh Tuan quickly became a phenomenon in the Vietnamese cinema industry. The film was not only warmly received by domestic audiences but also resonated internationally thanks to its realistic and thorny approach to the miserable lives of the lowest class of society.

The work tells the story of fates from different directions gathering at the landfill, forming a small community with joys and sorrows. At the center of the story is Trong (played by Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam, then 27 years old) - a "big brother" of the landfill with a rough appearance and a gangster personality, but deep inside he has desires for love and family.

Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam

The main female character Thuy (actress Bich Ngoc) is a banana flower vendor who has to sell her body to get money to cure her mother's illness according to her adoptive father's arrangement. The fateful meeting between Trong and Thuy in heartbreaking circumstances leads to a profound love story, where love becomes the power to transform and change people.

Vo Hoai Nam was chosen for the role of Trong completely unexpectedly. He remembers a journalist calling to inform him that he was starring in a film by director Do Minh Tuan. At that time, Vo Hoai Nam's name was published in the newspaper as the main role without his knowledge. Director Do Minh Tuan answered very naturally when Vo Hoai Nam asked about this: "Well, I'll just publish it." He didn't know that the director had chosen him and then proactively gave him the script to continue working on.

Dangerous scene almost caused disaster

The special thing about King of the Dump lies in its strong humanistic message. Through the classic dialogue of the blind man in the film: "I can't see anything but my dump is very beautiful and sparkling", the film conveys the message of the light of humanity in the most difficult circumstances.

Vo Hoai Nam shared the meaning of the line as light comes from people to people, light comes from the heart, light of love, love and care. The blind man in the film also talked about the garbage dump with a lot of warmth, people, children and light - things he always longed for. The warmth in the relationship between homeless people living like family members with love and care from children to the elderly creates humanistic values for the entire work.

The production of King of the Dumpster faced numerous difficulties, especially in creating the setting. According to cinematographer Nguyen Duc Viet, filming at a real dumpsite was almost impossible because the city's garbage trucks kept coming and going, making it impossible to stop for filming. The crew had to find an empty lot near Hanoi , personally buying garbage from many different places to dump in according to their own intentions.

Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam when playing 'King of the Dump' and now.

The old jeep Vo Hoai Nam used in the film was not only to save money but also because it was old and dusty. He even shared that during filming, he had no money for gas but was still happy to contribute his efforts for the love of art.

One of the most impressive scenes was the dream wedding with a helicopter in Gia Lam. This scene was only allowed to be filmed once due to budget constraints. Cinematographer Nguyen Duc Viet recalled that if the scene failed, the film would almost be ruined or the scene would have to be removed from the script because there was no money to do it a second time.

Image of the plane in the movie 'King of the Dump'.

However, a dangerous incident occurred when the feathers that were thrown up to create a wedding effect were sucked into the plane's engine, causing the plane to stall immediately after landing. Vo Hoai Nam recalled that if the plane had stalled while it was in the air and was in free fall, it would have been extremely dangerous. He said it took 3 days to fix the problem.

Memorable scenes in the movie 'King of the Dump'

Canh Trong holding his child at the end of the film also left a deep impression on the audience with a complete change from the fierce eyes and words, even swearing at the beginning of the film to the gentle eyes at the end. Vo Hoai Nam said that when he put down the camera, he shouted loudly: 'This guy has won the prize'. For Vo Hoai Nam, the film crew was enthusiastic, everyone did their best.

Record that no one has broken after more than 20 years

The King of the Garbage Dump won the Silver Kite Award from the Vietnam Cinema Association upon its release. Notably, the film brought Vo Hoai Nam the Best Young Actor award at the 47th Asia- Pacific Film Festival in Busan, South Korea. He and Michelle Yeoh were the only two people to receive this award at that festival and to this day, no one has received a similar award.

For Vo Hoai Nam, the role of Trong is not only a character but also a turning point in his career with a purely creative spirit: never thinking of making films to become famous, never thinking of making films to win awards or never thinking of how much money he can make from making films.

vietnamnet.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/canh-quay-may-bay-truc-thang-suyt-gay-tham-hoa-va-ky-luc-hon-20-nam-cua-vo-hoai-nam-post648635.html