At the movie premiere on January 29, the male artist shared that he actively restrained himself from vulgar scenes and rough language in the movie because he was worried about affecting children.
Truong Giang said: "My film is limited in swearing, you - me. Luckily, because I raised two children to adulthood, I know the impact on children now is terrible. If the film has a spreading power, it must spread well and have educational value.
He said he wants his debut work to carry a positive message, suitable for many audiences, especially families.
However, this way of expressing it caused Truong Giang to encounter mixed reactions. Many viewers believe that his statements unintentionally create a feeling of comparison, even "assessing" fellow filmmakers who have everyday language elements, swearing is irresponsible towards young audiences.
Some opinions suggest that art has many perspectives, each film genre has its own way of expression and there is an age classification system (16+, 18+) for viewers to choose from.
On forums, many viewers ask the question: if the film is clearly labeled with age, is the use of edgy language, reflecting social reality, really worthy of being "examined" in a moral direction? According to them, the most important issue is still the quality of the work, the story and the way it is told, instead of just focusing on the "educational" element.
Another opinion sided with Truong Giang, arguing that the male artist only shared his personal views as a father, without intending to attack anyone. His choice to make a "clean" film, limiting sensitive language, is the right to creativity and personal orientation, and should not be attributed to the act of "raising himself and lowering others".
The controversy became even more intense when some comments dragged in the private lives of other artists, especially whether or not they have children. Many viewers believe that using children's stories to compare and ridicule is offensive and unrelated to artistic quality.
From the perspective of a media expert, Mr. Hoang Van - CEO of Clover company shared with reporters: "In fact, Truong Giang's statement touches on a sensitive issue of Vietnamese films for a long time: the boundary between reflecting the true life and the social responsibility of artists. One side believes that films should reflect everyday language, even crude, as long as there is an age label. The other side believes that films, especially films screened during Tet, should prioritize family nature, limiting negative elements".
Mr. Hoang Van added that from Truong Giang's story, it can be seen that the controversy is not only in the content of the statement, but also in the way of expression and context. When a famous artist shares his views, even if they are personal, it is very easy to be understood in the direction of comparison and evaluation of others. And in the social media environment, just one sentence can be "exaggerated" into a major debate about ethics, profession and the artist's ego.
Among them, this time is near Tet, and Truong Giang is also having Tet movies in theaters competing with other directors such as Tran Thanh. Previously, in Tran Thanh's films, characters often swore and addressed each other when communicating. Therefore, Truong Giang's statement easily makes viewers associate him with implicitly attacking colleagues, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Mr. Hoang Van further analyzed that Truong Giang may not intentionally or want to clash with colleagues because the relationship between him and artists like Tran Thanh, Thu Trang is quite good. However, Mr. Hoang Van said that Truong Giang should have a clearer and more detailed way of expressing himself to avoid misunderstandings from the audience, especially at a time when artists' statements are easily spread in a more exaggerated direction.
