Viet Nam's film Vua Bai Rac to be shown in the U.S. and Canada
(07/22/2003 -- 12:05GMT+7)
Ha Noi, July 22 (VNA) - The Canada-based BM Films International Firm has bought the copyright to the film, Vua Bai Rac (King of Debris), planning to show it at cinemas, on TV and to publish on VCDs in the U.S. and Canada in the next ten years.
Under a contract with the Vietnamese Feature Film Company- the manufacturer, the BM Films International Firm will facilitate the film's participation in festivals, design posters and make English and French captions.
Vua Bai Rac was directed by Do Minh Tuan in 2002. The film creates a world exactly as its title suggests: a colourful kingdom of garbage where, at the centre, lies a house of abundant children, out-laws, rubbish personalities and out-of-date items.
The film’s realistic scenes have gathered together various kinds of "trash" from all aspects of life, creating an artistic realm that is topsy-turvy but cosy, tiresome but desirable.
Director and scenario writer Do Minh Tuan, who returned to feature filmmaking after seven years focusing on television series, has taken audiences to eat, breath and sleep with people often regarded as living at the bottom echelon of society, highlighting the humanity in those often dismissed as undesirable.
The film brings audiences to a garbage field by the Hong (Red) River bank, where poor people from a range of origins congregate.
The story centres on Trong (played by Vo Hoai Nam) who proclaims himself "king" of the garbage field and rules the area’s poor people by setting his own laws.
At one point, leisurely strolling through his kingdom, Trong randomly encounters Thuy (Nguyen Thi Bich Ngoc), a poor orphan who had to sell her virginity to pay for her adopted mother’s medical treatment.
Upon discovering that Thuy’s adopted father plans to turn her into a professional prostitute, the "King of Garbage" convinces her to join him in the rubbish field to live with him.
The man’s love for Thuy, a kind-hearted woman, his friendship with a blind street-singer (Cuong Tuc) and the honesty of the film’s characters, who are often dejected as hopeless and useless, awakened the good will in Trong’s heart.
These factors trigger in him a transformation, from a tough gangster to a sympathetic leader aiming to improve the living conditions of those in his community.
The movie makes a visual impact depicting the miserable lives of garbage sorters on the outskirts of Ha Noi, by portraying the length to which they go to choose a straight path despite the many temptations to get involved with violence and morally dubious actions.
It has also turned a rubbish field into a united family and a jubilant festival, where people wear refuse-made clothes and develop their penchant for contemporary art.
Vua Bai Rac, more than anything else, is a confirmation that love, self-respect and a great desire for a beautiful life comprise the spiritual and emotional foundations for marvellous things to happen, even in a desolate life.
Playing the lead character, Trong, actor Vo Hoai Nam has made his first impression on the big screen. The role brought Nam the prize for best young actor at the 48th Asia-Pacific Film Festival in the Republic of Korea in Oct. 2002.
