Ut Tich, the movie "Mother is away from home": Hanoi young lady, U70, peaceful life

On a cool April morning, we visited Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu at her home in a small alley in Hoang Mai. The house was spacious with many ornamental plants and colorful flowers blooming in front of the porch.

Entering the house, right from the space outside the living room, she hung old photos. Suddenly, my eyes stopped at a familiar black and white photo - the resilient Ut Tich in the movie Mother Away - the role that engraved Ngoc Thu's name in the hearts of many generations of audiences.

When we arrived, the gentle sound of cooking came from the kitchen, where the talented artist was meticulously preparing a meal for the family.

After those daily chores, she gave us an open and sincere chat. Ngoc Thu told us for the first time about her unforgettable memories of filming Mother Away from Home, the difficult but exciting years of making films. She shared about her marriage with People's Artist Bui Bai Binh and her current life - when she is almost 70 years old.

Memories of Ut Tich "Mother is away" and her childhood in the family evacuation

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu was born in 1956 and began her acting career with the role of Thoa - the wife of a martyr - in the film The Unbuilt Wall directed by Nguyen Khac Loi. A work highly appreciated by experts at that time.

Born as a Hanoi girl, considered a noble lady, not willing to endure hardships or exposure to the sun and rain, Ngoc Thu often plays poor, even unfortunate characters. Her characters rarely wear rich clothes, rarely smile and do not have many lines.

Perhaps, it was those roles that left a deep mark on her daily life. Ngoc Thu always kept herself calm and composed, her voice always gentle.

The first impression of the female artist may be that she is a difficult woman to approach, but when interacting, the other person will clearly feel the warmth and comfort...

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu carefully keeps her youthful photos in her personal album.

Talking about her acting career, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu said that she did not have many roles but still had special affection for Mother Away by director Nguyen Khanh Du.

The film is set during the war against America in South Vietnam and is one of the typical works of early Vietnamese cinema.

Mother Away from Home won the Golden Lotus Award for feature film at the 5th Vietnam Film Festival and an award at the 1980 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

More than four decades have passed, Mother Away from Home is still remembered as a golden milestone of revolutionary cinema. And Sister Ut Tich has become the role of a lifetime for Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu.

"Ut Tich Sister" Ngoc Thu in a conversation with Dan Tri reporter.

Gently sipping tea, the female artist happily said: "Every year, I still give interviews about Mother's Away , even though I'm the only one left in the old film crew. That's my way of showing gratitude to the work and my colleagues."

Going back in time, recalling the year 1979, Ngoc Thu said, she was unexpectedly given the role of Ut Tich when she had just turned 20, had only graduated for a few years and was not yet married.

Although she has never experienced motherhood, Ngoc Thu still took on the role of Ut Tich with all the courage of a professional actress. And the miracle that made her feel and play the role deeply came from the deep memories of her childhood.

"During the war years, my family had to leave Hanoi to evacuate. That period of time helped me somewhat understand Ut Tich's feelings.

Taking care of 5 young siblings, living far away from their parents, gave me a strange sympathy for the role of this mother, making the character closer to me than ever," she recalled.

In addition, to fully transform into the character, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu spent time deeply learning about the real-life prototype of Ut Tich.

The film crew created conditions to bring her to Cau Ke - the heroine's hometown - to directly listen to the memories and authentic stories from the local people, and see the precious documentary images that are still preserved.

So, what Ngoc Thu remembers about the heroine Ut Tich is "her determined face and sharp, courageous eyes".

Realizing the similarity in appearance, Ngoc Thu also felt a stronger, more powerful look on the character's face compared to her own - a point that the female artist cleverly exploited - to clearly show Ut Tich's resilient temperament.

She also learned from the work The Mother with a Gun by writer Nguyen Thi. The line "fight until the hem of your pants is left" in the story became the main spirit that Ngoc Thu brought to her role. Not through strong actions, but through the steadfast eyes and deep feelings of a mother in the midst of war.

Ngoc Thu said that the days living away from her parents and taking care of 5 younger siblings helped her understand and sympathize with the character Ut Tich in the film.

The years of filming were hard but still fun

Ngoc Thu said that the film Mother Away from Home was made right after the fierce years of resistance, during 3 months in Cau Ke. She shared: "The filming conditions at that time were extremely difficult: The whole crew had to stay in people's houses, and slept at night in the committee hall.

The budget was tight, only a few tens of thousands, the whole crew had to use rice stamps to have food. Even though the salary was small, only a few dollars per meter of film, no one complained. Everyone was united, putting all their heart and soul into creating a quality film."

One of the most haunting and painful memories for Ngoc Thu during the filming process was the scene of the cow being burned. According to the artist, this scene was elaborately staged to depict the brutality of war.

"The film crew bought a cow, kept it in the kitchen for a few days, then tied it to an explosive and poured oil to create a burning effect.

When the camera started rolling, the cow panicked and ran right into the designated position, that moment made the whole crew silent and choked. Even though I knew it was just a technique, this scene still made me cry.

It is like a warning, a painful wound about the cruelty that war has sown in peaceful villages," Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu recounted, her voice still filled with emotion.

Every time I watch it again, I can't hold back my tears at the image of the mother who had just smiled brightly before having to rush off to battle.

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu

Mentioning the scene of Ut Tich breastfeeding her child, it was indeed a big challenge for Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu - a young unmarried girl - at that time.

She confided: "With a large film crew and the curiosity of the villagers surrounding me, I couldn't help but feel embarrassed when I had to do the shirt-lifting scene, even though everything was within the allowed limits."

However, overcoming her initial fears, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu devoted all her heart to deeply portraying the image of a mother in the fierce war scene.

It was that high concentration and genuine emotion that helped her fully convey to the audience the noble sacrifice and sacred maternal love of the character Ut Tich.

In the memory of Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu, war in films does not appear through the sound of bombs and bullets, but through the silent separation.

"The film has no scenes of bombs and bullets, but the brutality of war is evident through the haunting dreams of children and the heartbreaking pain of a mother. Every gunshot is a time when Ut Tich has to leave her child, and has to leave just after returning.

Every time I watch it again, I can't hold back my tears at the image of the mother who had just smiled brightly before rushing off to battle. It was that silence that deeply portrayed the pain of separation and parting," Ngoc Thu sadly said.

Despite her young age and having to be away from her family for 3 months to film, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu did not feel lonely at all, on the contrary, she was full of excitement.

She confided: "Just graduated, making a film in the West was a great joy for me. The whole crew was very united, overcoming difficulties together. The first time coming to a new land, I was passionate about learning and exploring the culture and customs. The excitement of youth helped me forget all my fatigue."

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu also has a special bond with the five child actors who play Ut Tich's children. "The children live with the crew and call me Mom because I'm over ten years older. I play and chat with them to make them comfortable. Thanks to the director turning the scene into a game, the children also acted very naturally, creating touching and genuine moments," she excitedly recounted.

Although not her debut work, Mother Away from Home has become an important milestone, a deep mark in the career of Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu.

The role of Ut Tich not only brought her fame but also taught her "how to research and live fully with the character" - a valuable lesson that has followed Ngoc Thu throughout her acting career.

45 years have passed, but the female artist still does not feel sad that there has not been any role that can surpass the great shadow of Ut Tich.

She said: "A role that is forever remembered by the audience is a great happiness. I am proud of my small contribution to cinema."

More than 4 decades have passed, although no role has surpassed the shadow of Ut Tich, Ngoc Thu still does not feel sad about that.

Happiness is living in peace and doing what you like.

Contrary to the image of a disadvantaged woman on screen, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu in real life is very optimistic, humorous and always "happy in her own way".

Sister Ut Tich in the movie Mother Away from Home in the past did not pursue titles or career heights but always maintained a simple, fulfilling life. Where joy comes from the maturity of her children and the years of sharing with her partner - People's Artist Bui Bai Binh.

The two met when they were students at the Vietnam Cinema School. At that time, her house was only one train stop away from his. Love blossomed from the train rides that took them to class and back home, and then quietly grew over the years.

After 4 years as classmates and 2 years working together, Ngoc Thu and Bui Bai Binh decided to become husband and wife in mid-1981.

Recalling the early days of her marriage with People's Artist Bui Bai Binh, the country was still facing many difficulties, and the couple also had times of extreme poverty.

"Once when my son was sick, I had to take my younger sister to the filming location to take care of him. My son's childhood was therefore more or less closely linked to his parents' acting career.

Then another time, when I was preparing to go to work on a film, I only had 20,000 VND left. I had to leave it all for my husband and children at home to spend during the days I was away," Ngoc Thu recalled.

After giving birth to her second son, she gradually gave up long-term roles to spend time with her family. She said: "Both Bui Bai Binh and I are actors, often away from home. Due to economic difficulties, I brought my child with me, but my older child needed me to stay home. I don't consider it a sacrifice, but a mother's duty."

Later, because acting was not enough to cover her expenses, Ngoc Thu decided to open a small coffee shop at home - at that time on Doan Tran Nghiep street - to improve her finances.

In her old age, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu enjoys a simple life.

Every day she looks after the coffee shop hoping to earn enough income to cover living expenses and grocery bills. Occasionally, she takes on short roles that don’t require her to travel too much to satisfy her nostalgia for the profession.

Compared to the resilience of Ut Tich on screen, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu admits that she is not as strong in real life. "Ut Tich left her 5 children to fight, but I was heartbroken when I was away from my children for a few days," she confided.

Now, in her twilight years - after going through the ups and downs and worries of acting or making ends meet - Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu enjoys a simple and peaceful life with her family.

She shared: "In the morning, I usually go to the market and cook enough meals for the whole day to have more time to relax. In the afternoon, I like to meet friends and drink coffee together, and when I have free time, I take care of plants and flowers in the garden. Occasionally, I also reward myself with trips here and there."

The female artist prepares meals for her family.

After retiring, Ngoc Thu thought that acting would become more difficult due to her limited health.

However, the role of Mrs. Mai in the movie Milk Flower Returns in the Wind came as an unexpected joy, and she accepted to participate.

"Acting is ingrained in my blood, so if there is a suitable role, I am still willing to contribute. However, I will also choose carefully to ensure that it does not affect my health," she said.

Sharing the secret to maintaining family happiness, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu said that there is nothing profound, just tolerance, understanding and always looking at each other's good points. It is the love and respect for each other that has helped them overcome difficulties, keeping their family warm and peaceful for many years.

When mentioning the title of People's Artist, she gently said: "Everyone wants to be recognized, but I'm not too concerned. My greatest happiness is that the audience still remembers Ut Tich and appreciates my roles. Their love is the most precious reward."

Meritorious Artist Ngoc Thu with her children (Photo: Provided by the character).

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/chi-ut-tich-phim-me-vang-nha-tieu-thu-ha-thanh-u70-cuoc-song-binh-yen-20250422030254228.htm