'Ancestral House' - Healing Childhood Scars

In the 18+ movie "Ancestral House", the character My Tien (Phuong My Chi) overcomes the pain of being rejected to heal the conflict with her mother.

The work marks Huynh Lap's return to the big screen after six years, since Blind Mage (2019). In the second film, the director continues to promote his strengths with the spiritual genre, which helped him make a name for himself through many web-dramas.

The main character - My Tien - is a "million-view" Gen Z content creator in Ho Chi Minh City. Stuck for ideas after a series of products with few viewers, her best friend suggested the theme of exploring the underworld, the filming location being her over 100-year-old house in the West.

Not believing in ghosts, she accidentally meets the spirit of her brother who died 10 years ago - Gia Minh (Huynh Lap) at the house. From trying to chase away his spirit, she gradually learns to get along with Gia Minh. Meanwhile, the "ancestral house" is at risk of being sold by My Tien's relatives for profit.

Phuong My Chi (right) and Huynh Lap - the main characters of the film. Photo: 17 Productions

Borrowing the story of the underworld, the film focuses on the topic of multigenerational trauma. The script asks the question: If one day, you meet a deceased relative again, what will you say to them? For My Tien, it is the process of facing many childhood wounds to heal herself.

The director interweaves flashbacks to explain the story. The main character has experienced many events - her father died in an accident on the day she was born, and many years later her brother suddenly passed away. Living in a family that prefers boys over girls, My Tien is surrounded by rumors that she is the cause of her father and brother's death. Her mother (artist Hanh Thuy) - in extreme pain - also believes the rumors. From then on, My Tien distances herself from her family, believing that her brother is the reason why her mother rejects her.

The film builds a reasonable development of the characters' moods. At first, My Tien did not dare to face Gia Minh's spirit, using a spell to chase him away. Thanks to the advice of the old man (the temple's caretaker, played by artist Trung Dan), she realized that this was an opportunity to release the repressed feelings of 10 years.

The character has to overcome many psychological barriers to heal the conflict with her mother. She is comforted when she hears her best friend Phat Phi (Chi Tam) share her perspective. Many lines in the film hit the hearts of young people, and were widely reposted by audiences on social networks, such as "Mom usually doesn't use the word 'sorry' when she feels guilty, she only acts by cooking her favorite dish", "With family, now it can be hurt, but later will become memory".

Behind the scenes of exploiting cultural beauty, shaping the souls. Video: Provided by the film crew

The work includes many scenes related to beliefs and ancestor worship, thereby integrating the message of returning to the roots. The film depicts the spiritual world, where the deceased still watch over the lives of their descendants every day. Some characters are created with satirical intentions, such as diligently worshiping at the temple but indifferent to burning incense for their ancestors. The profession of making banh xeo and glass paintings are also exploited by the director to enrich the cultural material.

In her first leading role, Phuong My Chi perfectly portrayed the emotional scenes. She played the role quite naturally, partly because she was in tune with the character as they were the same age and worked in a job related to content creation. In the scene where My Tien cried at Gia Minh's grave because she thought his soul had disappeared, the character's expression evoked many emotions. Huynh Lap's role mainly played the role of opening up, embedding the things the director wanted to convey through dialogue.

Watching the film on February 21, audience member Ha Thanh Phuc said he cried several times because he sympathized with the story. He appreciated the film's message of "family love overcomes everything" and commented that Phuong My Chi suited the look and played the role well.

Music contributes to leading the emotions of the work. In the scene where My Tien confides in Gia Minh, the song And we don't sing like we used to (Composed by Le Cat Trong Ly) resounds through Phuong My Chi's voice. Oil Purse (Sung by Bui Cong Nam) evokes a sense of nostalgia for childhood on a bright background arrangement.

Song "Au o vi dau" (composed by Chi Tam, sung by Bui Cong Nam). Video: YouTube Huynh Lap Official

The film has many negative points at the end. The director sets up a "twist" related to past crimes. From here, the script is changed, revealing many internal family conspiracies, causing a character to want revenge regardless. The message of the film is broken because the content does not maintain the humanistic color as in the beginning.

At the film's premiere on February 18 in Ho Chi Minh City, Huynh Lap admitted that he was greedy and stuffed in too many details. "If people find it unsatisfactory when watching, I promise to take that as a lesson and correct the mistakes in the third film," he said.

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