The "natural and salty" beauty is once again brought to the audience by Hai Muối through the image of Hai (artist Quyền Linh) and his daughter Muối (Huỳnh Bảo Ngọc) looking at the salt.
A happy gaze with a smile on his lips can be seen, salt has become an indispensable part of Hai's life. Throughout his life, Hai has been struggling to "carry the sun" on the vast salt field, and has been closely associated with the salty taste of the sea in the hope of getting "sweet fruit" for his daughter.
Coming to Hai Muối, the audience will follow the journey of Hai and his daughter to experience joy, sadness, and emotional ups and downs when the main character faces life's turning points. The story is very realistic, with many twists and turns that are constantly pushed to a climax, forcing the audience to think about the relationship between parents and children and the value of family.
According to artist Quyền Linh, one of the reasons he joined the film Hai Muối is due to his deep empathy for the character of Hai. He feels the love and responsibility of a father towards his children, similar to his real-life version, a "national father" who loves and takes care of his two daughters unconditionally.
Returning after more than 20 years, artist Quyền Linh admits that he "met difficulties" to catch up with the current film trend: "The generation of filmmakers in the past is different from the present because the younger generation is more dynamic, has new techniques, and a faster film-making pace.
Actually, it's a bit difficult to follow the younger generation, but with the support of the film crew, I was able to adapt in just 1 minute and 30 seconds."
The film "Hai Muối" is set in the ấp đảo Thiềng Liềng, Thạnh An Commune, Cần Giờ District, Ho Chi Minh City, with many impressive scenes at the forest, Lâm Viên dock, and Tang Bồng tower, which is over 28 meters high...
Especially, the film focuses on the salt-making village, a traditional occupation that has been a source of livelihood for many generations of families in this remote island. Through the film Hai Muối, the salt-making profession of the diêm dân in ấp đảo Thiềng Liềng is "cinematized" for the first time and brought to the big screen. The film also contributes to the preservation of traditional cultural values and promotes community tourism in Thiềng Liềng Island.
To get a comprehensive picture of the character's life, director Vũ Thành Vinh invested heavily in setting up the background. The "real-life" element is emphasized in each scene, so many backgrounds had to be built from scratch.
The crew had to prepare for 2 months before filming, from building houses for the main characters to preparing over 200kg of durian for the scenes. Especially, in scenes where salt is used, the crew had to calculate the amount of salt in tons, as salt that gets wet cannot be reused, resulting in a significant increase in production costs.
According to the characteristics of the salt-making profession in Thiềng Liềng, salt-making is only done for 6 months during the dry season, from around October to April of the following year. The biggest challenge for the crew was the time constraint, ensuring that the scenes were shot at the right time when the salt was at its best quality.
"Hai Muối" is a family drama film, featuring around 40 actors, including NSND Hồng Vân, NSND Việt Anh, NSƯT Công Ninh, artist Quyền Linh, actor Minh Luân, Trần Kim Hải, Huỳnh Bảo Ngọc, Tú Tri, Năm Chà, and others. The film will be released in all cinemas nationwide on August 30, promising to bring the audience a touching experience about family and the love of a father who has spent his life for his children.
