Thuc Anh is the result of People's Artist Cong Ly's first marriage with Editor Thuc Khue. She graduated with a degree in Directing from Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema. This decision was recognized by Thuc Anh herself as a way to learn and sympathize more with the sublime art world that her father always suffered for.
In the film, Thuc Anh did not avoid talking about the times when she felt separated from her father. After Thuc Anh's parents divorced when she was young, she grew up with her mother and gradually felt a distance from her famous father. She even thought that her father had abandoned her or that he had not given her the right attention.
The young female director said that when she was a child, she hated the role of "Co Dau" because she felt that role had "taken over" her father's time and mind. This lack of understanding sometimes leads to small conflicts, such as the story of a father and son who had not seen each other for two months just because of disagreements about taking the driver's license exam.
At one point, because he did not understand his father's profession, Thuc Anh burst into tears when she saw Cong Ly in a prison dress on TV and thought that her father had "goed to prison".
According to Thuc Anh, people often admire the stage glory of actors, but few people know about the loneliness and the feelings of not being able to share when the artist returns to the home alone.
With the desire to better understand the feeling of "growing under the stage lights" that her father always craved, Thuc Anh decided to pursue an art career.
Health problems are a test of family love
The biggest turning point in Thuc Anh's relationship with her father and also the climax in the documentary when People's Artist Cong Ly encountered a health incident.
Thuc Anh first revealed details about the day her father suffered a stroke after a fall at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak, causing him to be hospitalized for a long time without relatives to visit.
This is considered a great misfortune, but it is also an opportunity for Thuc Anh to regain her affection for her father. She realized that she loved her father more than she imagined, how much she needed him and how scared she was when facing the risk of losing a loved one.
The most touching moment Thuc Anh shared was the first time she was able to visit her father. At that time, People's Artist Cong Ly had to have someone to help him, he saw his daughter, recognized her but could not remember Thuc Anh's name, and burst into tears.
The image of a father shed tears because he recognized his child without being able to call his name became a deep wound, but at the same time, it was also the motivation for the father and son to get closer together, creating a deeper connection after the incident.
The film "Co mot sao" is not only a work about an artist but also a sincere self-identity of Thuc Anh. She affirmed that People's Artist Cong Ly's experience in many marriages is not an abandonment but the way he loves each relationship wholeheartedly, and the divorce does not reduce love but is a " doi love" for the children.
