The journey to find happiness in “Dusty Roads”

"Dusty Journeys" is the latest work by director Trinh Le Phong, following the search for happiness of three men of different ages, whose fate brings them together on a "journey to escape the world ." The film stars Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam, actor Dinh Tu, and actor Duc Phong.

The film was shot in some very beautiful locations. (Photo: VFC)

This marks director Trinh Le Phong's new foray into the road trip genre after the success of "One Family".

The film revolves around three men of different ages, all pushed to the margins of life. They board a vehicle hoping to escape the world, but it becomes a journey that gives them hope and helps them build a shared home. It's a heartwarming story of open human connection, shared kindness, and the affirmation of life's core values.

Each person, even when at their wit's end, when all opportunities have vanished, even when they are marginalized, still harbors simple desires: to have a chance to start over, to live a good life, and to be loved. It's a story of journeys, unique cultural landscapes, and destinies that, despite misfortune, never lack hope.

Meritorious Artist Võ Hoài Nam and actor Đình Tú in the film.

A man released from prison in his twilight years (Mr. Nhân - Meritorious Artist Võ Hoài Nam), a disgraced young man (Nguyên - Dinh Tu and a pickpocket (Phom - played by Duc Phong) together create a story rich in masculinity, not dramatic or related to romantic love stories, but warm, full of laughter, and prompting reflection on the meaning of life, offering a bright and positive perspective on human relationships in society.

Speaking about what makes the film different, director Trinh Le Phong said that while the main characters are all men, the film wasn't shot in a single location but rather spanned many different provinces and cities. This was a rather arduous journey, requiring extensive travel, but it created many unique experiences for the actors and film crew.

"This could also be called a road trip film, because the characters have missions and responsibilities to fulfill. Along those paths, they will encounter situations and lives that will help them improve themselves through the events they face," the director explained.

Director Trinh Le Phong also shared that the film has beautiful visuals, mostly shot in remote areas. Because it was mainly filmed in remote areas, travel was very difficult; however, the film crew was still happy and shared with each other because it's not often that they get to have such experiences together. The film was shot over nearly 3 months and covered almost 1000km, capturing the beautiful scenery of many regions.

Sharing her thoughts on her return to the small screen, Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam According to the director, Mr. Nhân's character in the film is a seasoned veteran with a troubled past, connected to other unfortunate individuals and forming a family. Meritorious Artist Võ Hoài Nam commented that this is an unusual script and a unique story that conveys the message to the audience to love and protect one another.

As for Dinh Tu, the two most memorable impressions from the film were the long journeys he undertook and "getting slapped."

Dinh Tu shared that he used to participate in films related to family and love. But this time, the story is about three uncles and nephews, not a family, but always together on the same journey, traveling everywhere in the same vehicle. “This film doesn't have a main setting; we just travel everywhere, from the mountains to the sea. Once, we were filming at a character's house, which I thought was the main setting, but after about 5-7 days of filming, the crew moved again. The producer would announce new destinations every few days, like Hoa Binh , Bac Son, Lang Son, and Y Ty. The film's title is 'Dusty Journeys,' so the whole film is about trips. These were also interesting and different experiences for me and the film crew, exploring different places with different emotions.”

Recounting the incident of being slapped in the film, Dinh Tu said that he gets slapped in almost every film he acts in, and this film was no exception. In the film, Tu received two slaps from Mr. Nhan and Quynh Chau, and each slap "hurt a lot." To the point that Dinh Tu's friends all asked why he gets slapped so often when acting in films.

For child actor Duc Phong, "Dusty Journeys" brought him experiences he had never had before. "I've never traveled as much as I did while filming this movie. I didn't think there were so many beautiful and majestic places. You have to travel to know how many beautiful places there are," Duc Phong shared.

Duc Phong also said that when he was cast in the role, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to do it because he felt the role was too demanding. However, Meritorious Artist Vo Hoai Nam and director Trinh Le Phong always supported him, so he was able to complete the role.

"There were parts where I didn't know how to express the emotions, but everyone helped me immerse myself in the character of Phom in the most perfect way," said Duc Phong.

"Dusty Roads" and "My Father, Who Remained" are two films with two different styles, yet both are emotionally rich and meaningful, marking the beginning of... new movie time slot of Vietnam Television in February. The film production unit is the Television Film Production Center. VFC, Vietnam Television, hopes that viewers will continue to enjoy and support Vietnamese films in this new time slot.

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