It is no coincidence that Vietnamese filmmakers and cinema lovers always mention Tran Anh Hung with admiration and pride. Partly because he is the one who made Green papaya scent (1993) – the first Vietnamese-language film nominated for the 1994 Oscar in the category Best foreign language film .
Furthermore, throughout his career, the director born in 1962 has made many large and small contributions to the country's cinema, from teaching filmmaking classes to bringing the image of Vietnam closer to international audiences.
At Cannes 2023, Tran Anh Hung continued to reach the pinnacle of glory when he won the category Excellent director. What's special is that exactly 30 years ago, he was also named for his debut work, right at this prestigious film festival.
Aesthetic style and poetic languageEach filmmaker has his or her own perspective and approach to cinema. For Tran Anh Hung, the most important element in a film is the visual storytelling language.
“I don’t think I make films because I know how to make films. I make films because I want to practice a very subtle and complex language. That is the language of cinema,” the director shared in a filmmaking workshop organized by Toong released in 2018.
According to him, it was something that inspired him greatly because it contained many difficulties, but also made him "feel like he could devote his whole life" to the 7th art.
To master that language, Tran Anh Hung personally wrote the scripts for all the works he directed. But when making his first feature film, The Scent of Green Papaya , the director made a bold decision to use his native language, Vietnamese, instead of French.
The film's plot is simple, about a girl named Mui, who works as a maid for two families in Saigon from the 1950s to the 1960s. Through each stage, the character witnesses changes in the lives of her employers, from which she has many changes in her thoughts and actions.
Although the setting is Vietnam, Tran Anh Hung had to film everything in France. Language became the first thing that helped the film exude Vietnamese spirit. In that situation, the director cleverly minimized the dialogue, letting the images speak for the characters' hearts for most of the duration.
Reply to magazine Bomb, The filmmaker said he wanted to “create a certain freshness and poetry in everyday life” through Mui’s story. “I wanted to create a rhythm for the film, a rhythm that I hoped would represent a certain way of life in Vietnam, and through that rhythm to reveal the soul of the country,” he said.
Therefore, Tran Anh Hung's debut work does not have too many climaxes. On the contrary, all events take place in a strangely slow manner. If there is any drama, it is also handled gently, creating a feeling of wandering and dreaminess, reminiscent of the typical filmmaking style of famous Japanese director Yasujirō Ozu.
Through Tran Anh Hung's lens, every character's action, no matter how small, becomes beautiful and romantic.
It was the clear eyes of little Mui as she watched the sap flow down the green leaves, amidst the chirping of birds in her garden.
That was also the moment when Mui, now a young woman, gently applied lipstick to her lips, happily looking at herself in the mirror, unaware that someone was watching from afar.
After The Scent of Green Papaya , Tran Anh Hung persistently pursues an aesthetic filmmaking style in subsequent projects. He made Cyclo (1995) and ended the trilogy of films about Vietnam with Summer vertical projection (2000).
Since then, the director has filmed in many places around the world, from the US, Japan, Hong Kong, to France.
However, the works associated with his name are always praised for their subtle language. The frames often focus on details and are full of symbolism, sometimes only intended to be evocative, so they can be difficult for the general audience to understand.
3 times conquered Cannes Film FestivalTran Anh Hung has had works competing at several major international film festivals such as Venice, Dubai, and Sydney. However, Cannes is where his name has spread further on the world map.
The filmmaker first appeared at Cannes when he turned 31. With The Scent of Green Papaya , director was honored to win 2 categories, including the award Camera d'Or (Golden Camera) and Award of the Youth. Not only was the film nominated for an Oscar, it also received the 1994 César Award for Best First Film. This was an admirable achievement for a director whose previous experience was only making short films.
Seven years later, Tran Anh Hung returned to the 2000 Cannes Film Festival but did not compete for the highest award but only participated in the category Un Certain Regard (Unique Perspective) with Summer vertical projection. Although it did not win, the film was still highly regarded and is one of the most important films in his career.
This year, Tran Anh Hung continues to bring to Cannes his latest project called Pot Au Feu . The title refers to a traditional French beef stew. The screenplay, adapted from Marcel Rouff's novel, centers on the relationship between a chef and a culinary expert, set in late 19th-century France.
In the work, Tran Anh Hung had the opportunity to work with the "icon" of French cinema: Juliette Binoche - who won Best Supporting Actress at the 1997 Oscars. The star starred alongside co-star Benoît Magimel.
Surpassing many competitors, Pot Au Feu shortlisted Palme d'Or (Palme d'Or), and received positive feedback from critics. According to Variety , it's the most “radical” entry on the shortlist, “beginning with a nearly 40-minute cooking scene” and continuing with a romance.
Of course, the film still retains the style of Tran Anh Hung with a minimalist plot and beautiful, poetic scenes. His unique perspective helped his film stand out from the rest of the competition, leaving a strong impression on the jury – headed by Swedish director Ruben Östlund.
In 5 nominations at Cannes, Tran Anh Hung won 3 awards, including a category that any filmmaker would dream of: Excellent director . It is the result of more than 30 years of hard work and perseverance in pursuing a unique filmmaking language, since his first foray into cinema.
At Cannes 2023, the director shared: “As a filmmaker, I feel like I was born again in Cannes during the presentation. Green papaya scent 30 years ago. I was so moved when I heard Vietnamese being sung at this film festival, that feeling is hard to describe. And today, I bring here a film in French."
During his career, Tran Anh Hung has had the opportunity to work with big names in world cinema, from the "French muses" Audrey Tautou, Bérénice Bejo, Mélanie Laurent,... to Asian stars such as Tony Leung, Lee Byung Hun, Toru Watanabe,...
But it's been a long time since Tran Anh Hung made a film about Vietnam, collaborating with Vietnamese actors.
That makes Green papaya scent becomes an unforgettable memory for movie fans, especially those who love Vietnamese movies.
When hearing the news that the director was honored at Cannes, most of the audience believed that this event would motivate and inspire many young filmmakers in Vietnam. At the same time, many people also hoped that a Vietnamese-language work by Tran Anh Hung would appear in the future.
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