Scene from the movie "Soul Eater".
Attractive because it is both strange and familiar
At the end of 2023, the two works "Soul Eater" and "Ghost Dog" attracted the attention of the audience. The evidence is that "Soul Eater" earned more than 65.5 billion VND and "Ghost Dog" with a revenue of more than 51 billion VND (as of January 5, 2024). These are also the two Vietnamese films leading in box office revenue since their release in December 2023. One thing in common is that these two works both use dense folklore materials.
In the horror film "Soul Eater" by producer Hoang Quan, director Tran Huu Tan has distilled folk materials to put into the film, with a clear mark of local culture. Based on the literary work of writer Thao Trang, which has a large number of readers, director Tran Huu Tan has included in the film newly composed nursery rhymes to suit the film's plot, suggesting the villain's evil methods. The verses appear with the intention of evoking familiarity, creating a sense of mystery, incorporating many ghostly folk tales, imaginary characters related to the other world ...
The familiar images in the folk painting “The Rat Wedding” were put into the film by the director of the film “The Soul Eater” and are quite interesting. It is a wedding scene at night, everyone participating wears a rat mask as a custom of the villagers, with the belief that the souls will not be captured, dispelling bad luck. The rat mask also has a profound meaning, reminding that in the past, their ancestors had done evil deeds, then had to live in hiding like rats, thereby reminding themselves not to create more evil karma.
“It took a lot of time to create the wedding scene. We used Vietnamese culture as an outer layer, thereby conveying a humane message to viewers, especially young audiences, with a feeling that is both strange and familiar,” said director Tran Huu Tan.
Released not long after “Soul Eater”, the film “Ghost Dog” (directed by Luu Thanh Luan) has been doing quite well in theaters after nearly a month of release, with a steady increase in audience. Borrowing the word-of-mouth story “The Dog in the Hat”, the director reflects on the reality of dog theft, dog killing and the karmic retribution that people must bear after their illegal actions.
Producer Vo Thanh Hoa shared: "The film "Quy Cau" is a project that paves the way for a series of film projects that we have been nurturing for the past 3 years, including 3 different parts with horror themes combined with mysterious folk elements, carrying a positive message, and will continue to be released in the coming years."
The box office success of the two films mentioned above is a positive sign for Vietnamese horror films, reinforcing filmmakers' confidence in exploiting folk materials.
Can not be careless
Not only horror films, the positive signal from the audience's response also came to many Vietnamese historical films released this year, typically the film "The Last Wife" by director Victor Vu with a box office revenue of more than 97 billion VND. Choosing a setting with a strong Northern cultural imprint, combined with careful investment in costumes and art design, the film left an unforgettable impression on viewers thanks to beautiful frames: Water puppetry scenes, women wearing four-panel dresses and conical hats, market scenes in the middle of the village, bamboo houses with thatched roofs, scenes of spacious and ancient mandarin houses... The song "Floating Water Float" is inserted in the final scene of the film, bringing a feeling of stillness and regret.
Notably, the costume design was meticulously invested in and widely promoted before the film was released. Actress and producer Dinh Ngoc Diep shared: With the film set in the Nguyen Dynasty, the designer researched the costumes of the people, from the five-panel dress to the way women from many social classes style their hair, and the living habits of the people...
“We still have a certain amount of freedom in costume design. The color combination from the actors’ costumes to the background is harmonious. For example, the scene of the banquet in the mandarin’s house has many different colors of clothes but not flashy, because they are all dark colors. Each character of the mandarin’s wife has a costume that matches her personality: The first wife wears red, orange, yellow, which matches her hot-tempered, fierce personality; the second wife often wears green, showing a somewhat free, carefree personality; the third wife wears dark purple, brown, which matches her sad mood,” said producer Dinh Ngoc Diep.
Producer Hoang Quan believes that what makes Vietnamese people proud and creates a difference and prominence is the cultural element, with unique features that cannot be mixed with anywhere else. Of course, there will be difficulties, because with the horror genre, when incorporating folk cultural elements, it is necessary to determine what is enough and what is too much. "We edit and perfect at the same time. We cannot be subjective with what we already know, but must carefully consult and ask for advice. That is a necessary factor when making films that borrow folk cultural materials" - producer Hoang Quan said.
He also said that in the project “Soul Eater”, he was advised and supported with information, such as in that period, with that story, how to use materials to make it as “Vietnamese” as possible. However, there are also elements made based on subjective feelings, and if it were to be remade, the film crew would research and seek support and advice in a more systematic way.
Screenwriter Kay Nguyen, who is associated with the films "Co Ba Sai Gon" as co-director and "Cong Tu Bac Lieu " as co-screenwriter, believes that folk materials create familiarity. "That atmosphere depends on many factors, from the script, setting, sound, lighting, acting, actors' voices, post-production, special effects... Horror and historical films with past settings need a "huge" budget to establish space, customs, and habits" - screenwriter Kay Nguyen said.
It seems that there is a very strong catalyst that has “attracted” young people to dare to spend money, spend effort to learn and invest in producing “made in Vietnam” films. They have made efforts to affirm the spirit of national pride in cinematic creation, with the desire to create stories of Vietnamese people, with Vietnamese cultural materials. That is very encouraging.
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