Expectations for 2 war movies coming to Vietnamese theaters

In 2025, Vietnamese cinema will witness the release of two works with the theme of war, promising to bring audiences a realistic view of wartime, along with pride in the heroic and indomitable historical journey of the nation: Tunnels and Red Rain.

“Tunnels: Sun in the Dark” directed by Bui Thac Chuyen was released in early April to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. “Red Rain” directed by Dang Thai Huyen (People’s Army Cinema) was released in September to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day, September 2.

Passion for recreating war

“Tunnel: Sun In The Dark” is set in 1967 when the war against America escalated.

The film revolves around the battle of a 21-man guerrilla group led by Bay Theo (Thai Hoa) at Binh An Dong base. The guerrilla group is tasked with protecting a new strategic intelligence group that has just taken refuge at the base at all costs. This mission makes Bay Theo's 21-man guerrilla group the target of search and destruction by the US military.

To make the film, director Bui Thac Chuyen spent more than 10 years struggling with the script, revising it many times. In addition to receiving advice from People's Armed Forces Hero To Van Duc - who lived and fought in the Cu Chi tunnels, the director and crew restored their own set, while the cast had to undergo a weight loss process and attend many separate training courses.

All those efforts are with the desire to "recreate as authentically as possible the life and fighting of the Cu Chi guerrillas".

The film “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark” recreates the life and fighting of Cu Chi guerrillas. Photo: DPCC

Meanwhile, the film “Red Rain” is set during 81 days and nights of fierce fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel, recreating the selfless sacrifice of Uncle Ho’s soldiers. The film was directed by Dang Thai Huyen, with a script by writer Chu Lai.

To recreate the historical context, the film crew surveyed many locations across the country and finally chose Quang Tri as the main setting. The 50-hectare film set was built on the banks of the Thach Han River, Quang Tri Citadel, architectural works, tunnel systems, traffic trenches... were meticulously restored. Currently, "Red Rain" is in post-production before officially being released in theaters.

The value of peace

In fact, both “Tunnels” and “Red Rain” were invested with large budgets, but above all, the filmmakers wanted this to be not simply a war film, but also a story about love, courage, sacrifice and the desire for peace of the Vietnamese people.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen said that veterans told him many stories about humanity in the midst of war, so besides recreating the brutal truth of war, he also wanted to tell about the indomitable and heroic qualities of the Vietnamese people.

50 years since the war ended, the story of the heroic land of Cu Chi is one of the voices reminding that today's peace is not obvious or free.

The film “Red Rain” is set during 81 days and nights of fierce fighting to protect Quang Tri Citadel. Photo: DPCC

Meanwhile, many actors in the film “Red Rain” cried while portraying scenes of sacrifice and loss in the war. “We want to send a message about the appreciation of life and the meaning of peace to the audience,” said one actor.

With the initial advantages of being produced on a large scale, with a touching script, and a talented cast, “Red Rain” and “Tunnel” both have the potential to become important milestones in Vietnamese cinema.

Each film has its own story but shares the same goal of recreating the brutality of war and honoring the national spirit. Audiences can fully expect these two works as representatives of the Vietnamese war film genre in the near future.

Nha An

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/ky-vong-o-2-bo-phim-chien-tranh-sap-ra-rap-viet-post543632.html