"Red Rain" - A successful experiment.

HNN - As of the time I'm typing this, "Red Rain" is still considered an "unbeatable" film, the hottest movie in theaters, despite the appearance of numerous new films; despite many "contrarian" opinions that have appeared and been commented on, liked, shared, and discussed extensively in recent days. The film's ticket sales officially surpassed 650 billion VND by the end of September 14th. This is truly an interesting, joyful, and thought-provoking phenomenon for Vietnamese cinema.

Many older people relived memories while watching "Red Rain" at the cinema. Photo: Bao Phuoc

Here, I would like to refrain from discussing or debating the opinions that "Red Rain" is inaccurate, lacks necessary historical research, contains scenes that appear somewhat contrived, and so on. In truth, I believe everyone has their own reasoning. Those who directly participated in and witnessed the event see it differently from what they experienced; filmmakers believe that "adaptation" and transforming real events into cinematic narratives are necessary to achieve the desired effect, while realistic depiction is the responsibility of documentary filmmaking; others wonder how anyone could confidently assert that the events unfolded in a certain way (as they claimed), when they were merely a small dot in the entirety of the 81 days and nights. Did they oversee the entire battlefield and attend to every single front to be so certain?...

Setting aside all debates, for me, as a younger generation, seeing a film with a historical slice of our nation, immediately upon its release, evokes strong emotions and continues to attract audiences of all ages and backgrounds for weeks. And after watching it, everyone feels a deep sense of pride and gratitude for the generations of ancestors who shed blood to create the country we have today. It also instills a greater sense of responsibility towards the Fatherland and a deeper appreciation for peace . Many young people, after watching the film, have gone with their families to visit the ancient citadel and the Truong Son Martyrs' Cemetery with profound respect and gratitude. That alone is a tremendous success, truly worthy of recognition!

A scene from the film "Red Rain". Photo: Provided by the film crew.

In light of the "Red Rain" phenomenon, I silently reflected that throughout history, our nation has been resilient, never submitting to any foreign invaders from any direction. From the Trung Sisters and Trieu Sisters to Ngo Quyen, Le Hoan, and Ly Thuong Kiet; then the Tran Dynasty's three great victories against the Mongol invaders with the famous battles of Bach Dang, Ham Tu, and Chuong Duong; Le Loi's uprising to drive out the Ming invaders; Quang Trung Nguyen Hue's legendary battles that struck fear into the hearts of the Siamese in the south and the Qing army in the north; and the Ho Chi Minh era with countless heroic victories against the French, expelling the Japanese, "the Americans left, the puppet regime collapsed," regaining independence, freedom, and national unity, and safeguarding our borders. This is a vast and valuable "database," real and tangible, that filmmakers with dedication and talent can freely exploit to create masterpieces of lasting value in many aspects. Wasn't the recent "Red Rain" a successful experiment that gave our filmmakers the confidence to move forward? I think so.

Hien An

Source: https://huengaynay.vn/chinh-polit-xa-hoi/theo-dong-thoi-su/mua-do-mot-thu-nghiem-thanh-cong-157873.html