Vietnamese films make an impression at Venice Film Festival

"Rain on the Butterfly Wings" by director Duong Dieu Linh has many magical details that attract audiences, according to the film site IndieWire.

On September 3 (local time), the film premiered as part of the International Film Critics Week at the 81st Venice Film Festival. After the screening, the crew received more than two minutes of applause from the audience and was positively reviewed by experts.

IndieWire rated the film B, writing: "A captivating debut film. Duong Dieu Linh creates unforgettable images in the work, making her an artist worth watching in the boom period of Vietnamese cinema, after Inside the golden cocoon and other projects. Rain on Butterfly Wings really fascinating".

Screen International Comment: "The work is a combination of many genres, comedy, fantasy and a little horror". Cineuropa Comments: The director built the film's content well to show the conflict between mother and daughter in a family in Hanoi, reminiscent Juliet of the Spirits directed by Federico Fellini and Alice by Woody Allen.

Page Film Fest Report considered the project interesting, presenting the filmmaker's perspective on marital issues. "I believe Duong Dieu Linh has affirmed her position in the new wave of Vietnamese filmmaking," wrote writer Niikhiil Akhiil.

Present at the screening were the main actors - Meritorious Artist Tu Oanh - said: "I was surprised and moved to have my first leading role in a movie at the age of 50. I hope Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to see the work in the near future."

The project is a joint production between companies in Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Set in Hanoi, the story is about a middle-aged woman (played by Tu Oanh) who discovers her husband is having an affair. She decides to seek out magic in the hope of making her husband love her again, but accidentally awakens a mysterious supernatural force in the house.

The cast also includes Le Vu Long, Nguyen Nam Linh, Bui Thac Phong - Tu Oanh's son and the director. Bui Thac Chuyen. After the Venice Film Festival, the film attended the Toronto Film Festival (Canada) and the Busan Film Festival (Korea).

The project was developed from a number of short films by Dieu Linh, including Mother, Daughter, Dreams (2018), Sweet, Salty (2019) , Heaven Calls (2020) - revolves around female characters. Through it, the director explores themes of femininity, family relationships and cultural traditions.

Above Deadline , Duong Dieu Linh said the idea for the film originated 10 years ago when she made her first short film in Vietnam. The lives of her family members inspired her to make films about women.

"I have watched many Vietnamese films, which depict gentle, devoted people taking care of their families, but in the end they are always abused, betrayed or not treated well. When making the film, I tried to find the answer to why women have to endure so many difficulties in life," the director said.

Actress Tu Oanh (left) and director Duong Dieu Linh at the premiere of the film "Rain on the Butterfly Wings" in Venice. Photo: Alice Durigatto

On the morning of September 4 (Hanoi time), Director of the Department of Cinema Vi Kien Thanh said that the film has been licensed for distribution, and domestic distribution will be handled by CJ CGV.

Duong Dieu Linh, 34 years old, born in Hanoi, currently living in Singapore. Short film Mother, Daughter, Dreams Her short film was entered into the Busan International Film Festival (South Korea) short film competition. She was influenced by the filmmaking style of Japanese directors such as Shinya Tsukamoto, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Sion Sono, Korean filmmakers Park Chan Wook and Kim Ki Duk. The director was also inspired by the horror works of Andrzej Żuławski, David Cronenberg and John Carpenter.

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