【ket qua nations league】Love is the most precious gift when given unconditionally

Expert critics agreed that most of your films have proved lucrative. Are your films made to suit the audience’s tastes or do you use your personal thoughts to identify the trends?ket qua nations league

To be honest, I’m not good at catering to the audience’s tastes as they are quite unpredictable and subject to constant change. Indulging the public’s tastes can be risky as we may go astray from our own goals. I tend to challenge myself in stimulating or novel topics that I truly crave.

Director Victor Vu (left) with the male lead Ngạn in a scene of "Blue Eyes". Photo courtesy of the film crew.

Many people call you the director of blockbusters. Does the title heighten the pressure on you when making films?

I feel quite awkward with this title as it is only used by the audience and the media. I make films for my passion, so the title doesn’t bother me anyhow. I myself have always understood why I pursue film making. My passion comes from very special inspirations, so producing a film or adapting a story is a true great happiness to me by itself.

Can you share the reason why you chose Truc Anh (playing Hà Lan) and Tran Nghia (playing Ngạn) in "Blue Eyes” when they are unknown names in cinema?

Choosing the cast is very important. Truc Anh and Tran Nghia both have simplicity and naturalness in their personality that I think suit the characters in the film. Experienced actors or actresses may not fulfil this demand.

In addition, acting is also a challenge because I want to explore true emotions in the film, so I chose completely new faces. "Blue eyes" needs emotional cast using their intuition rather than techniques to aim for subtlety and naturalness yet retain their own appeal.

This is your second film adapted from a short story by Nguyen Nhat Anh, after "Tôi thấy hoa vàng trên cỏ xanh” (I saw yellow flowers on green grass." Do you feel worried that it may not break the box-office records set by your previous work?                                               

"I saw yellow flowers on green grass" is completely different from "Blue Eyes". "Blue Eyes" is more about the inner world of self-talk, so the adaptation will be more perplexing. To find ways to express the inner world through images and sounds is a huge challenge, so I feel very fascinated by this film.

I read "Blue Eyes" even before “I saw yellow flowers on green grass,” but I wasn’t ready to adapt this work at that time. After shooting “I saw yellow flowers on green grass,” I found a way to adapt "Blue Eyes" with some restructuring to bring it closer to the audience.

Before shooting, you had shared that you wanted to try out the theme of pure love. In your view, does pure love still exist in this day and age?

However modern life can be, pure love does exist. It’s a matter of whether you can find it or have faith in it. At any time, people seek their true love, and I believe I can find mine too. I do think that pure love still exists.

A scene in the movie. Photo courtesy of the film crew

For the characters in “Blue Eyes”, love is a precious gift, especially when given unconditionally.

The story in this novel is set mainly in Đo Đo village of Quảng Nam province, then, why did you decide to move some shooting to Hue?

When the crew and I edited the script structure, most of the story now occurs in the city (accounting for 75%). The part that takes place in Đo Đo village now constitutes 25% of the script to recall childhood memories. So, after filming in Hue, we would continue in Quang Nam.

When I came to survey the film set in Hue, I realized the beauty of the city lying in the houses and the roads that still retain their antique features. A place might look normal in other people’s eyes, but if I see that it can do amazing film shots, I will choose it.

Readers of "Blue Eyes” were very impressed with the story, so they were both excited and worried on knowing that the film would be adapted. Their concerns revolve around the cast and whether actors and actresses of the film can successfully portray the main characters, the inner thoughts and feelings. What do you think about this?

Indeed, I am just as worried. “Blue Eyes" is one of my favorite novels by writer Nguyen Nhat Anh, and the project is also the one I have devoted much time and effort to. For a young and new cast, I think they can depict the characters’ inner worlds and souls.

If I can find new faces who meet the requirements from the film crew, they will soon be well-known to the wider audience. And this is significant for not only the film itself but also for the Vietnamese cinematography.

Thank you and I wish all the best success for your movie.

By Tue Ninh

(责任编辑：Ngoại Hạng Anh)