After 23 years since creating a box office "storm", "Dancing Girl" by director - Meritorious Artist Le Hoang was chosen to be screened in the program "The Face of Vietnamese Cinema 40 Years of Doi Moi" at the 4th Da Nang Asian Film Festival (DANAFF IV).
When "Gái nhảy" was released in 2003, few people expected that a film directly exploiting the world of prostitutes could create such a strong attraction. Not only causing a box office "fever" in the context of a limited cinema system, the work also sparked many debates about the boundaries between art and the market, between reflecting reality and the element of attracting audiences.
More than 20 years later, when talking about the film, director Le Hoang recognized that "Gái nhảy" is not a "market phenomenon" as many people once called it.
The director recounted that at that time, in Ho Chi Minh City, there was almost only one main cinema, Thang Long cinema, and "Dancing Girl" was premiered here.
The audience flocked in, to the point that people living around had to take advantage of the space in front of their houses to park their cars for moviegoers.
When I stopped by, they even brought out cakes and candies to invite us, happily saying: "Thanks to the director of Gay Nhay, we naturally have extra income". The water vendors around the area were also excited no less, because of the bustling number of customers from morning to night" - director Le Hoang said. Those memories moved him.
In terms of revenue, the film reached about 13 billion VND - a very large number at that time.
Director Le Hoang shared, "It should be remembered that the cinema system at that time was still extremely limited, there were no large-scale cinema complexes like now, so almost no one thought a Vietnamese film could achieve such a revenue level.
As for the reviews surrounding the film, there are many different opinions. I don't think any opinion is right or wrong, because with cinema, especially theatrical films, if it doesn't create debate, doesn't spark discussion, then it's better not to do it".
According to the director of "Gái nhảy", at the time of filming, the crew did not put much emphasis on the revenue factor, but only focused on creating a work with depth of story, enough to make young people reflect on the dark sides of society.
The central characters are prostitutes named Hanh (Minh Thu), Hoa (My Duyen)... They fall into difficult circumstances and suffer harsh fates.
The idea of the film is actually not too "terrible", but only originates from the very fates, the very real living circumstances that exist in society.
I think the film is still suitable for contemporary audiences to this day, and I am confident that it has not become outdated, even for those who have watched it for more than 20 years. If there is an opportunity to remake it, there will definitely be many changes in the way it is expressed, but the core spirit is not: it is a story about the misguided fates of prostitutes and the belief in the ability to overcome adversity.
Filmmakers around the world are also like that, they all want to create works that can nurture faith in people. No one does art just to leave the theater with the feeling that there are completely hopeless, irreparable fates. That is not the ultimate goal of cinema" - director Le Hoang said.
