Cinema
Ngày lễ Thánh
Bạch Diệp · 1976
Synopsis
In a Catholic seaside village, in the early sixties, two sisters, Nhân and Ái, each have a failed marriage behind them. The parish, custom and the neighbours' gaze weigh on what they can do with their lives; Ái loves a local boy whom everything, it is said, sets apart from her. Around them, the village joins the cooperative, and the film follows what this changes in the houses, the fields and people's minds.
Context
The film is based on the novel Bão biển, published in 1969 by Chu Văn, and was shot at Hải Hậu, in Nam Định province, in 1975, for release the following year. Trà Giang and Như Quỳnh play the two sisters, Viết Liên the young fisherman. The shoot coincided with the training course of the second intake of the theatre and film school, so that the extras are played by future well-known names. The film shot had to make the journey to Hanoi to be checked, and people waited several days to find out whether the scene had to be reshot.
Who it is for
Two parts, in Vietnamese, with no known subtitles. It is necessary to know what the collectivisation of the northern countryside was, and that the religious life of a Catholic village is its setting.
Prizes and reception
Silver Lotus at the fourth Vietnamese festival, in 1977, and prize for best actress; one of the two titles that made its director's reputation.