What did Ly Hai say when Lat mat 7 was criticized for being unreasonable?

Director Ly Hai and producer Minh Ha of Lat mat 7 interact with the audience in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: DPCC

In an interview with Tuoi Tre Online , director Ly Hai frankly shared about some issues surrounding the film and the film industry.

That's his thoughts on the situation where many people think some films are "squeezed into showing times"; the theme of children taking care of their parents in old age and the reason why the film Lat Mat 7 doesn't have a villain.

In particular, Ly Hai also responded to the opinion that Lat mat 7: Mot giau uoc has an unreasonable plot.

Movie content controversy

* Recently, there have been some comments questioning whether it is reasonable for an injured mother to travel to several provinces and cities for her children to take turns taking care of her. What is your opinion?

- Before that, if you look closely, I had planted a lot of things. After Mrs. Hai fell, she was alone, living in a remote area.

Why didn't I choose her house in the countryside, in the middle of the village? Because then when she fell, the neighbors would come to help her a lot.

When the mother had an accident, her four children living far away shared the burden by bringing her to their homes, each for a week, in Hanoi , Ninh Thuan, Ho Chi Minh City... - Photo: DPCC

I chose Mrs. Hai's house to live on the edge of the forest because if she had an accident, no one would help her, except for one neighbor.

An elderly person who had not had an accident already had difficulty living in a remote area, from going to the market - she lived with her daughter, but now her daughter had to take care of her child in the hospital. Moreover, now that she had a broken leg, she could not live alone.

I let the crew members test it, a young man in his 20s with a brace above his knee could not stand up, sit down, go to the bathroom, cook, do laundry... by himself.

* When writing the script, do you listen to feedback to refine the script as closely as possible?

- Usually, when I write the first script, I will tell it to my wife. When I finish, I will email it to the crew to read.

Mostly I choose people who understand the profession because reviewing is an important step, but if they don't understand the profession, the film will become a mixed bag, because everyone has their own ego.

People who like action will put action elements in. People who like drama, ghosts or some other genre will add their ideas, causing confusion.

As a screenwriter, a director, first you have to be firm and have a stance, because that is the story you want to tell.

Director Ly Hai and the script of the movie Lat mat 7 - Photo: DPCC

The children in the movie are not unfilial.

* Another highlight of the film is that there are no bad guys. Why did you choose this way of telling it?

In Flip Side 7: A Wish , I didn't do anything grand but told it from a perspective: not everyone in society is bad. This perspective is very positive and not negative at all.

Ly Hai with his mother, Mrs. Pham Thi Hai - the inspiration for the character Mrs. Hai in the film - Photo: DPCC

I thought: why is there so much negative news in society now, while there are so many positive stories. I decided to tell such a story so that people can see that society is beautiful and not gloomy.

* When people talk about children not being able to take care of their elderly parents, it's easy to fall into blaming and blaming. Why don't you choose that path?

- I made it clear from the beginning that there were no bad guys in the movie.

If we sit down and find a solution together, everything will be fine.

The children are not unfilial, because of circumstances they cannot directly support their mother.

For example, I love my mother very much, but saying that I should quit my job and go back to take care of her is a problem.

Luckily my family has many siblings, my brothers and sisters take turns taking care of my mother very thoughtfully.

Director Ly Hai on the set of Lat mat 7 in Hanoi, one of the provinces and cities where the film is set (along with Ninh Thuan , Bao Loc, Lac Duong, Ho Chi Minh City...) - Photo: DPCC

Movie is oppressed or business law?

* Recently, there have been a number of Vietnamese films with limited screening schedules, which have greatly affected their revenue. Some filmmakers say that their films are being "suppressed". As a long-time filmmaker, since Lat Mat has not been a strong brand, what do you think about this issue?

- The series Lat mat ra from 9 years ago, every year it clashes with big foreign blockbusters, one year it was Avengers .

Part 1, part 2, part 3 of Lat mat all encountered this problem: my movie was showing, the ratings were good, then a foreign movie came out and my movie's ratings dropped miserably. But I had to persevere and climb.

I still remember the movie Lat mat 3: Ba chang khuyet was well received by the audience as soon as it was released, exploding in the first 2 or 3 days. But when a Hollywood movie was released, Lat mat 3 dropped to a few hundred screenings a day. At that time, I didn't understand why.

Ly Hai's film in the Lat mat series also lost its screening time when competing with foreign blockbusters, but he understands the rules of business - Photo: DPCC

When the screenings and revenue drop, I feel sad. I've been through those sleepless nights before.

Later, I understood better that in business, theaters release many movies a year, but not all of them sell tickets.

If I were the investor in that theater complex, I would have to arrange screenings for any movie that sells well to share the revenue with the movie's investors (50/50). Movies that are released in theaters only sell well in the first week, so they have to take advantage of the opportunity to make a profit.

Ly Hai - "box office king" on April 30

In recent years, Ly Hai has won big at the box office on April 30, leaving other films "no chance" to compete.

As of April 30, Lat Mat 7 has achieved revenue of 150 billion VND (including pre-booked tickets) with an outstanding number of screenings.

On April 30, the film had 4,595 screenings, while other films had less than 1,000 screenings.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ly-hai-noi-gi-khi-lat-mat-7-bi-che-khong-hop-ly-20240430162255059.htm