The Evolution of Ham Tran
by Long Bui
Can you tell us a bit about your newest film? | ∧ |
Đoạt Hồn is a Vietnamese exorcism film. The story is about Chi Vuong, a student who has left her school to visit her family in Chau Doc. She has felt estranged from her mother Diep ever since she remarried to Huy, after the death of Chi's father. The only person whom Chi connects with at home is her half-sister, Ai. But on the morning of Chi's return, Ai, falls into the river and drowns. One week later Ai's dead body is discovered washed ashore on a banks of a river, while grieving family performs a corpse-less ritual funeral for her. Chi's uncle Thuc, a policeman, rushes to the morgue in the village to identify the little girl. When he gets there, he discovers that the girl is very much alive. He brings Ai back to her home, but doesn't tell his family that she was dead when she was found. At first her family is very glad to have her back until strange things start to happen Ai. They soon discover that Ai is possessed, not by the spirit of the dead, but that of a lost soul. Chi runs away from home to the village where Ai was found to understand Ai's possession. What she discovers is a great evil that has destroyed the village and now threaten the lives of her entire family. |
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Why did you decide to finally enter the horror genre? What was the inspiration behind? | ∧ |
The idea for Đoạt Hồn began in 2005 when I visited the impoverished floating Vietnamese community living in Cambodia. The tragic stories that I heard from the residences there haunted me, and I struggled to find a way to share their stories on the screen. The answer was to tell it as a horror story and let the audience witness the true evil that these communities have had to deal with everyday. |
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How would you describe the change in your filmmaking style over the years, from your very first film until now? | ∧ |
I believe that every filmmaker, regardless of ethnic background, makes the same film over and over again. For me, every film that I make is about families, whether it is a journey to discover the painful history of one's family, or one that follows a comedic path toward making a new family overseas, or a story of terrifying discovery about one's extended family. In that way, I don't believe that filmmaking has changed over the years. The themes always come back to self discovery along a difficult road. |
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Briefly explain in your own words your personal journey toward becoming a recognized award-winning director? Looking back, were there things you wish you did differently? | ∧ |
The awards and recognition were never the goal of becoming a director. The purpose has been, and will probably always be to understand myself, where I came from, and the unpredictable future, through the lens of a camera. I graduated from grad school when I was 30. Now that I am 40, I'm learning that though the characters in my films reflect and are haunted by their past, as a director, I must try look forward and not dwell on past mistakes. |
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Many directors are particular about certain things, from editing to the cinematography, what are you most "obsessed" about? | ∧ |
I think that if you ask anyone who has worked with me, he or she will say that I'm obsessed with everything. I'm a very meticulous story teller, and also a tech geek, so I'm very much involved with everything that goes into a film in front and behind the camera. |
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What is the most fun and difficult aspect of making a film to you? | ∧ |
What's great about being a writer, director, and editor, is that I get to have three kinds of experiences. As a writer, I get to have one-on-one time with my collaborators in the creation of a script. I get to sit back and read, listen to music, and watch movies in the process of collecting visual, audio, and narrative inspiration. I do all of these activities voraciously. I consume books, music, and films.
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This will be hard for a filmmaker who watches so many movies, but list 3 films that have changed your life and quickly explain why. | ∧ |
The three films that have changed my life are:
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We can ask you about future films, but a more fun exercise is what film would you really want to make (regardless of money or time)? | ∧ |
The two films that I hold very dear to me at the moment, and I'm still taking the time to develop the scripts are "The Unclaimed" and "Distant Country". I won't go into details since it'll probably be another year or two before I can realize them.
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