Vietnamese American director Victor Vũ on the importance of a good story, and the challenges in adapting one of Vietnam’s most popular young adult novels for the screen
Victor Vũ is perhaps one of the international Vietnamese directors who have benefitted the most from the government’s decision in the 90’s to loosen the state’s grip on film production and allow private, international firms and filmmakers to produce films within Vietnam. And no one appreciates it more than him. Since his initial visit to the country in 2001, all eleven of his films have been made here. Vũ has become one of Vietnam’s leading directors.
It wasn’t the smoothest of starts however. Vũ gained national notoriety in 2011 for being the first film director to be investigated by Vietnamese cinema regulators for plagiarism, after his film Inferno was accused of being uncomfortably similar to a 90’s Hollywood thriller, Shattered. Despite what could be considered career-threatening controversy, including his film being dropped from the Golden Kite Awards, he has since won awards for Passport to Love (2009), Blood Letter (2012), and Scandal (2012). In 2014, his movie Vengeful Heart became the highest-grossing movie of all time in Vietnam.
& Of Other Things spoke to Vũ as he prepared for the final touches on post-production of his highly anticipated new film, Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, a move away from his signature romantic comedy and thriller genres, to a cinematic adaptation of the popular young adult novel by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh..
Interview by Sadie Christie ● Edited by Rose Arnold
&: How did your love of film begin and what film influenced you the most?
Victor Vũ: It all began at the age of seven, when I stepped into a movie theater for the first time. I watched Steven Spielberg’s E.T.: the Extra-Terrestrial, and instantly fell in love with cinema. I spent most of my childhood watching Hollywood movies. It was only later in high school and college that I was exposed to international cinema. The films of Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, Billy Wilder, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese and Federico Fellini were very influential.
At the same time, I grew up in a very traditional family, so I was constantly reminded of Vietnam. All of my early work, including my college thesis project, was Vietnamese themed – whether it was a drama or horror film. Perhaps it’s because I could identify with the characters and found these stories to be the most personal. So it was a natural development for me to make films in Vietnam.
&: Do you find any notable differences between Vietnamese and Western audiences? Do you have them both in mind when making a film?
Staying true to the material is much more important than trying to appease multiple audiences. Because you might end up with a hybrid film that feels artificial, off-tone or doesn’t speak to anyone.
Victor Vũ: For me, staying true to the material is much more important than trying to appease multiple audiences. Because you might end up with a hybrid film that feels artificial, off-tone or doesn’t speak to anyone. If the material explored is Vietnamese, then it needs to appeal to Vietnamese audiences first. But it’s also my hope that audiences, no matter where they are from, will get a chance to experience something unique about Vietnam.
Going into a project, I have to be aware of several things. There will be things that speak to us on a basic human level – things that we can all connect to universally. Then there are those special nuances or details that are culture specific. These differences must begin and exist in the script: the dialogue, the reactions and behavior of characters in certain situations, etc. After that, my own sensibilities as a filmmaker come into play. How can I tell this story cinematically? How do I convey the material in the way I feel is most interesting?
With Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass, it was clear from the start that this was going to be a nostalgic journey for a lot of Vietnamese who grew up during that time period. There are things in the novel that are very specific, things that Vietnamese audiences would immediately recognise. It was very important to recreate that world in detail. And it was equally important to convey this story through the eyes of a child. Coming of age films are quite rare in Vietnam, so taking on an unexplored genre brought about a lot of inspiration. This was definitely one of the reasons why I chose to make the film.
&: Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass is a novel by Nguyễn Nhật Ánh. How closely does the script follow the original story and how closely did you work alongside the author throughout the making of the film?
A novel is a novel, a movie is a movie. They are two different creations, and should be treated independently… the thing that matters most is the emotion.
Victor Vũ: There’s a lot of pressure when it comes to adapting a novel, especially one that’s very popular. You know you may not be able to fit the entire novel in two hours of screen time, so you have to give the screenplay and movie a life of its own. That’s when you decide what to keep, what to sacrifice and what to change from the novel. When I first met with Nguyễn Nhật Ánh, I realised that we both had the same understanding. A novel is a novel, a movie is a movie. They are two different creations, and should be treated independently. He told me that at the end of the day, the thing that matters most is the emotion.
The novel is a collection of 81 short chapters that unfold like fragments of the character’s recollection. The original screenplay was very faithful to the novel, but like the novel, the script did not have a concrete storyline. Nguyễn Nhật Ánh is not as concerned with plot or structure. His interest lies in the emotions of the two brothers – Thiều and Tường; moments that define their relationship, the atmosphere and beauty of their environment; life during that time period as perceived through the eyes of a child. And this is what captivated me when I read the book for the first time and instantly imagined a cinematic version. I wanted this version to focus mainly on the relationship of the two brothers, yet not lose the atmosphere of the novel. So, it was a difficult balancing act.
&: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to make filmmaking a career?
Victor Vũ: Make sure you are really passionate about it. Believe in the stories you tell. What you learn in film school and experience in the real world are very different. There’s going to be a lot of disappointments and heartache along the way, but it’s your passion and love for cinema that will get you through those dark times.
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Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass will be shown at L’Espace from 2 – 9 October. For a detailed screening schedule visit Hanoi Grapevine.
