Director Tran Dinh Hien:

Released to audiences at the end of February, director Tran Dinh Hien's debut film "Let's Go Home" impressed with its positive, energetic, and "healing" family story.

Director Tran Dinh Hien shared with HanoiMoi Weekend readers about the production journey of "Let's Go Home" and his desire to affirm his personal style through his unique storytelling approach.

- Hello director Tran Dinh Hien, your film "Let's Go Home" has left a good impression on viewers. Witnessing your debut feature film being so well-received must be very meaningful for a director, right?

- Yes! As a director, seeing the audience connect with the film's story, crying and laughing along with every detail, makes me very happy. Even though I've watched the scenes many times and thought I'd become emotionally numb, seeing "Let's Go Home" for the first time on the big screen still moved me deeply.

- The theme of family has already been explored by many Vietnamese filmmakers. How did you approach "Let's Go Home, Family" in your own unique way?

- Audiences often enjoy "drama" and tragedy because those details easily resonate with their emotions, but this time, I'm taking a risk by choosing a different, brighter direction. I want the audience to experience "healing" through listening and understanding via the story of the main character, Phuong. In her social relationships, Phuong is always cheerful and sociable, but when she returns home, she finds it difficult to connect with her family members. The trip she organizes for her family is an opportunity and a source of positive energy for her to acknowledge and confront that reality.

This idea originated from my own experience. I went through a period where I felt "distant" from my own family, yet for some reason, I felt very happy when I was with other people. When I confided in my friends, I realized they were facing similar difficulties. From that, I realized this is a problem that resonates with many young people today.

- The film was shot in Nam O fishing village, Da Nang city - a place rich in cultural and lifestyle aspects of coastal people. Did you choose this place as the main setting for "Let's Go Home" because it's your hometown, or were there other reasons?

- Sometimes, family problems can only be resolved in the right space. Therefore, the setting of Nam O fishing village – with its strengths of abundant natural beauty such as the sea, mountains, and streams – acts like a "glue" binding family members together, and also provides Phuong with the opportunity to confront her "fear" of being "in her own family."

Furthermore, Nam O village is my hometown, so I have a good understanding of its geography, culture, and way of life. This helped me arrange the details of Phuong's family trip to fit the main storyline of the film more easily and logically.

- Besides renowned actors like People's Artist Kim Xuan, People's Artist Hong Van, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Quynh, Meritorious Artist Huu Chau... "Let's Go Home" also features new faces such as TikToker Con Co Day (Anh Quan), Michelle Lai, and Trang Hy. Could you share the reason for choosing to combine veteran artists with young faces from social media in this film?

- I need actors who fit the roles. For the parental roles, veteran actors are a guarantee of quality. As for Michelle Lai's or Con Co Day's characters, they require a youthful energy. Although they are new names, they have already proven their acting talent through content on social media platforms. They have the inner strength, the potential, and the ability to portray their characters well. I believe this combination will therefore contribute to telling the story throughout the film in a complete and coherent way.

- You must have encountered quite a few difficulties during the filmmaking process, right?

- There are many challenges. For example, when writing the script, I find that every character has a great story to tell, but if it's not skillfully developed, the film's content will become rambling. Therefore, I need to research and handle the script in a way that is truly engaging.

The film was shot over a month during the summer. You know, in Da Nang, the summer is very harsh, and the film crew, which included elderly people and children, had to constantly go up the mountains and down to the beach. Everyone on the crew tried their best to complete the filming of "Let's Go Home, Family."

However, there were also times when we were very lucky. I still remember the time we were preparing to film the scene where Phuong runs in the rain. Suddenly, it started raining heavily, which made the scene more beautiful and realistic. If we had used fake rain, it would have been difficult to achieve such a beautiful result. The senior artists even said that it must have been "God's blessing" to give us such a wonderful rain (laughs).

- After "Let's Go Home," what are your plans for your next films?

- Currently, I'm focusing on stories that convey positive energy while still ensuring depth. These could be stories about family, romance, travel, history, etc. Hopefully, after "Let's Go Home," my next film projects will be loved and well-received by the audience.

- We would like to express our sincere gratitude to director Tran Dinh Hien!

"

Director Tran Dinh Hien graduated with a degree in Directing from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Film. In 2010, his film "A Good Day to Die" brought him many major awards such as: Best Film at 48HFP Vietnam, Top 10 Short Film Corner at the Cannes Film Festival 2011... With nearly 20 years of experience as a director and producer at major entertainment companies, he has become a familiar face, contributing to the success of many programs and music videos of famous artists such as Ho Ngoc Ha, Son Tung M-TP, Thanh Bui...

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/dao-dien-tran-dinh-hien-mong-muan-khan-gia-duoc-chua-lanh-bang-su-lang-nghe-thau-hieu-742245.html