Question: What comes to your mind when you think of Vietnamese films?
a)War-time
b)Hardship
c)Survival
d)All of the above

I would not be surprised if the last option is the answer in your mind because that is what most people will think of with the mere mention of Vietnam films. This is especially so when images of gut-wrenching battles and fighting are so often depicted in Vietnamese films as a result of the two wars which Vietnam has suffered in the past.

But interestingly, it was much more than this expectation when I stepped into the lobby of National Archives of Singapore (NAS) to take a look at the exhibition on Vietnamese film posters-From War to Nationhood.

The exhibition is very conveniently located at the NAS lobby with the posters being presented in three sections, each spanning three periods of changes which Vietnam gone through, starting from 1959 till present.

The very first section starts from the right of the lobby; consisting film posters that marked the earliest period of this exhibition- “Vietnam in Revolution”.

I have picked out some films which I personally like:

APHU COUPLE – It won the Silver Lotus Prize at the 2nd Vietnam Film Festival in 1973
The story goes like this. Melodrama set in northwest Vietnam in the 1940s. Dramatizes the repressed life of the Meo national minority through the unhappy lives of Aphu and My, a Meo couple, who are abused by the Canton chief, Pa Tra. The couple frees themselves with the aid of the communist leadership and subsequently join the uprising against the French in August 1945.

An interesting film title called SEE YOU AGAIN IN THE NEXT FEAST.
This film won the Golden Lotus Prize; Best Director for Tran Vu; Best Cinematography for Nguyen Dang Bay; Best Leading Actress for Nhu Quynh at the 3rd Vietnam Film Festival in 1975.
This melodrama is set in Vietnam during the 1940s before the August revolution. Two young singers in a Quan Ho folk music band, Net and Hai Chi, fall in love but their relationship is disrupted by family opposition and by revolutionary activities against the French and later against the Japanese Occupation during World War II.

As you can see, the best single word to explain the films under this period would be the theme of “war”. And I guess at that point of time, one of the instrumental ways to fortify patriotism in its people is through production of films with such themes.
Moving on to the second period, i.e. 1976 to 1986 will be “Vietnam After the Re-Unification”. It is worthy to note that apart from the theme of war, there is also the inclusion of the themes of society, children in this period of film production.

The name of this film is called CHOM AND SA.
Won the Silver Elephant Award at Bombay International Pioneer Film Festival in India in 1979 and Silver Medal at the Three-Continent Film Festival in Nantes, France in 1981.
This is yet another War film which is set in the early 1950s in northwestern Vietnam. Lo Thi Sa, her mother and brother Lo Van Chom are in the forest gathering food when the French raid their village. Their father is killed and the village burned. The survivors are sent to a concentration camp. The family, in possession of a secret Viet Minh document, escapes into the forest. The mother drowns in a stream, but Chom and Sa survive the French, wild animals and hunger to deliver the document at Dien Bien Phu. Sa grows up to become a beautiful dancer and Chom joins the North Vietnamese Army.

Title of this film is MOTHER’S OUT.
It Gold Lotus Award at the 5th Vietnam Film Festival in 1980. Crystal Vase Award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 1980.
War film set in South Vietnam in the 1970s. Mother belongs to the Viet Cong. While she is out fighting, her five children (aged from one to 12 years old) must take care of themselves. Although Mother misses the kids, she knows that only through warfare will it finally be possible to dedicate herself to raising her family.

On the final period, it is about “Vietnam in the Reform Era”. Although there are still depiction of war & post-war settings in this period, there are also efforts to walk past those war memories, slowly evolving into the social psychology as well as historical and theatrical characters.

SLEEP-WALKING WOMAN
Golden Lotus Prize; Best Leading actress for Hong Anh; Best Supporting actor for Le Vu Long; Best Director for Thanh Van; Best Cinematography for Nguyen Huu Tuan at the 14th Vietnam Film Festival in 2004; Golden Kite from Vietnam Film Maker Association in 2003; Special Award from Jury at the 49th Asia Pacific Film Festival in Japan in 2004.
With its exploration of the human soul and the Vietnamese character, this is an emotionally riveting portrayal of post-war life, based on the story The Woman On An Express Train. It tells the story of nurse Quy who used to be the spirit of life and hope in a sanatorium. But she is now jaded by the suffering and death of war. Living a secluded life, Quy goes looking for Phien, who is her former lover’s best friend. Despite the fact that Phien has been thrown into jail, Quy falls in love with him. Sleepwalking through life, Quy seems to be living on the brink of social reality.

Of all the film posters, this film is my favourite pick. It is called HEAVEN’S NET. Although it is essentially a commercial film made with the box office in mind, it includes featuring the plots of burning issues such as corruption, poverty and fates of those at the lower rungs of society. In fact, the top reason why it is worth seeing is because it is based on a true story.
It won the Silver Lotus Prize; Best Script for Nguyen Manh Tuan at the 14th Vietnam Film Festival in 2004 and Golden Kite from Vietnam Film Maker Association in 2002.
Beginning with a trial, this film shows the new capitalism in Vietnam run by its former revolutionaries. The drama unfolds to show how a group of cadres with powerful connections resort to corruption to prop up an ailing business venture. Based on a true story, it reveals the struggle of old values in a new world. Tu Le, general director of the ABF bank, is forced to mediate for this corruption scheme. Being a man of integrity, Tu Le resists the pressure to succumb but he too soon gets caught in the net.

All in all, I find that these films can really be good short-cuts to knowing more about the nation through Vietnamese stories, be it history or contemporary issues; as well as the people of Vietnam. And guess what, I am going to ask my Vietnamese classmate to find me more Vietnamese films from now on.

Tags: Vietnam Festival, Movie Posters, National Archives of Singapore