From Ao The to Vietnamese Rap: "De Men" revives folk culture in a new language

"De Men: Adventure to the Swamp Village", an animated film inspired by the classic work of writer To Hoai, uses a storytelling style that is familiar to Gen Z audiences.

Not following the stereotype of book interpretation or imitating old folk patterns, the film chooses a more vivid approach - where tradition is recreated with contemporary visual language, music and spirit.

Director Mai Phuong said that the production team did not want the film to simply be an adaptation or a "literal" recreation of the classical spirit: "Young people today no longer receive culture in a way that is taught. They like to explore and dialogue. Therefore, we want to create a world that is both Vietnamese in character and truly speaks their language."

That's why Cricket does not hesitate to break the mold in expressing culture. Characters such as Tong Coc, Ech Com... all have both folk and modern appearances. They not only speak with dialogue, but also "sing" with carefully selected melodies: from street rap to chamber music, from folk rhymes to trendy electronic beats. Each song in the film is a piece of culture - not dogmatic, not stereotypical - but still conveys its own identity.

The MV of Tong Coc is a typical example. The character wears a traditional ao dai and turban, stepping out from the image of a traditional village dignitary, but has an expressive style like emoji, moves to hip hop music and uses rap lyrics with folk rhymes. "I want the character to have both a traditional Northern breath and a witty, youthful look. That's the way to keep the culture from becoming outdated in the eyes of new audiences," Mai Phuong explained.

Director Mai Phuong added: "The lyrics "The toad is the uncle of God, whoever hits the toad will be struck by God" - are familiar folk verses from the past. When writing the rap for Tong Coc, I also intentionally included these verses as a part of traditional connection. The rapper wrote the lyrics very well, including verses like "The frog sitting at the bottom of the well considers the sky as a lid" - familiar images but rich in symbolism".

Not only the music, the visuals are also highly iconic. Many details from popular culture such as the character Genie in Aladdin , symbols from the Marvel cinematic universe or video games are subtly inserted, creating an impromptu connection between space and time. The director believes that this helps the audience feel "familiar in the strange, and strange in the familiar" - thereby making it easier to accept the cultural spirit.

Production director Vu Duy Nam emphasized: "We don't want to make a film just to illustrate literature or imitate tradition. Instead, Cricket is a way to retell the spirit of Vietnamese culture through the eyes and ears of today's generation." He also said that investing carefully in music, animation and storytelling is a long-term direction to arouse interest in heritage without imposing.

"De Men: Adventure to the Swamp" is scheduled to premiere nationwide from May 30, opening a new journey of Vietnamese animation - where culture is not "performed" but lived, told in the language of the times.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/tu-ao-the-den-rap-viet-de-men-lam-song-lai-van-hoa-dan-gian-bang-ngon-ngu-moi-3360028.html