Vietnam’s Modern Auteur in the Making

“That’s a whole lot of swearing. Indigestible pain. Contradiction even!”

These are some of the most common discourses on Vietnam’s most recent directorial sensation, Trấn Thành, and his works. But heck yeah, what life on earth survives without being clouded at times?

Thành’s artistic vision eschews Hollywood’s calling for new-world building or superhero sagas. Instead, all three motion pictures follow an unexciting, absurdly ordinary life of a commoner living on paycheque after paycheque in urban Vietnam. 

But how do they become such landmark works in Vietnam, piercing through the hearts of mass audiences? 

A fitting perspective would be looking at Trấn Thành and his works through the lens of auteurism.

But first, what is all the buzz around him?

Box-office Triple Threat

Since 2021, the Vietnamese film industry has experienced significant leverage within the region marked by Trấn Thành and his triple-threat filmography: ‘Bố Già’ (2021), ‘Nhà Bà Nữ’ (2023) and ‘Mai’ (2024). In each consecutive year, the three movies blew off box-office records previously set by their predecessors by a landslide.

I’m not here to convince you: “Hey, gotta love his movies now fam, look at the box office!”

At the end of the day, arts transpire in our veins differently. However, we should acknowledge how it is almost impossible to disregard Trấn Thành as a cinematic power house, bridging our local industry with the world.

As of March 26, ‘Mai’ has grossed $917K in its North American debut and promised to outgrow these numbers. 

So, let’s talk about the auteur theory.

Auteur Theory: a Breakdown

Let me ask you a question: have you ever actively dissected a director’s artistic style watching a movie? Or contemplated all sorts of personal agenda of this director?

I supposed most of the time, no. I would be annoyed! Invisible style allows audiences to pay close attention to the stories, characters and visuals. 

Yet, with some movies, you have noticed recurring themes, visual motifs or style that unmistakably tie to a singular creative mind that no one can replicate. This phenomenon, first coined during the French New Wave art movement, is the auteur theory. 

In this theory, the director is called “the auteur.” An auteur transcends the role of a crew member: they are the author of the film, imprinting their personal style, values and artistry in every aspect of the movie. Supported by other persons on the film set, the auteur participates extensively from scriptwriting to cinematography, from casting to directing.

They want to craft a deeply personal cinematic experience.

If you have TikTok, you’ve probably participated in the Wes Anderson video-making trend, where people capture static shots against colourful backgrounds.

Would you connect this style with any other directors? The answer is most likely no. Anderson is championed for his exaggerated whimsical style with colour blocks and meticulously composed shots - an aesthetic differentiating him from other directors.

In modern-day cinema, we have Christopher Nolan & Jordan Peele as contemporary auteurs. For example, Peele’s films always have a psychologically thrilling element and a decentralizing narrative as social commentary on racism and capitalism, leaving the audiences unsettled.

Is Trấn Thành an Auteur?

It’s still premature to solidify his directorial identity as an auteur, given the limited filmography. However, from what we have witnessed so far with the acclaimed movie trio, it is also not far from his reach.

Let’s break of some of the elements down one-by-one:

1. Auteurs usually work with a curated group of people on multiple projects

Thành has entrusted in Tuấn Trần, Khả Như, Uyển Ân and worked with one of the most celebrated artists of all time, NSND Ngọc Giàu. And you probably have heard of Thành’s refusal to set off “Mai” with someone else other than Director of Pictures - Diệp Thế Vinh.

There are multiple reasons for this decision, but the short answer would be some creatives just click on the artistic level without much awkward molding.

Think Cillian Murphy, Christopher Nolan, and their 20-year ride.

2. Auteurs have a distinctive cinematic style defying risk of replication

All three movies take place in a communal, working class “hub” with entirely stripped-down, raw dialogues.

On the one hand, you can argue that this poses such hassle for actors, which can greatly affect their performance. On the other hand, given the nature of Thành’s movies being extremely stripped-down and un-stylistic, I think it is a good thing that dialogues shift to be exactly how you would converse with a nosy neighbour.

You wouldn’t be grammatically correct all the time, would you?

3. Auteurs engrave their artistry in all aspects of filmmaking…

Taking on the roles as a writer, director, actor, music advisor, and more. In one interview, Thành revealed his active role in giving sparks for the original soundtrack of “Mai,” Sau Lời Từ Khước by Phan Mạnh Quỳnh, which dominated the charts instantly. I remember listening to this song before watching “Mai,” obviously in awe because Phan Mạnh Quỳnh is one of the most phenomenal songwriters and singers.

But after leaving the theatre, every single word choice made so much sense that sent chills down my body.

These are just some of the most prominent examples for our quest to look at his films within the auteur theory.

Directors aren’t Immune to Criticism. Auteurs Just Get Them More Often

Trấn Thành is now known as Vietnam’s first “đạo diễn ‘nghìn tỷ”–director of thousand billions. 

Undeniably, the historic box-office records have stirred controversies and speculation for both Thành’s movies and himself.

Like any public figure, no one director is homogeneously well-received by the mass: some will hate, some will love, some will be indifferent.

This concept is especially with auteurs, whose supposed “desire to dominate” filmmaking can rub the people in the wrong way.

I think this case is even more pertinent for Trấn Thành; since the themes in his movies are extremely ordinary, stripped down and even insignificant, some might ask: “what’s so special about it?” Well, it’s quite simple: it’s the high-class execution and masterful distribution method, which we will discuss later.

But unsurprisingly, there goes the cascade of criticisms.

During the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1940s-1950s, Albert Hitchcock as an auteur was trapped in the same situations. Despite his critically acclaimed works dominating all cinematic awards, the backlash was inevitable. Why?

As David Gertsner and Janet Staiger analyzed in their book on authorship, auteurism “elevates the director’s place within production and judges the films based on their director rather than as an individual artistic work.”

It is very difficult to disengage Trấn Thành from his films, and there is actually no need to do so because his authorship is, clearly, engraved in these bodies of work.

As such, it is unfair to dismiss an auteur and his works altogether, just because it simplifies the complex ecosystem of filmmaking. 

So give credits where it’s due.

Monetizing and Capitalizing on the Auteur Branding

A well-executed film with critical acclaim is not enough to shake box-office.

From an investor’s perspective, Trấn Thành’s evolving branding as an auteur is one of the most viable and savvy business models to drive cash flows. This is especially true in our region’s saturated movie market with other filmmaking titans like Thái Lan, Hàn Quốc and Hồng Kông.

The most apparent method is launching his film on Mùng Một Tết in the three respective years of his three films. This pattern forms a trademark release day for Trấn Thành’s films. As Tết is Vietnam’s most important season of the year, this deliberate strategy capitalizes on heightened public attention. 

If the pattern is sustained, going to watch Trấn Thành’s film on the first day of the new year will become a new norm.

This business-savvy at its finest. 

And perhaps, Trấn Thành as an auteur championing the culturally rich and raw perspective of Vietnam is exactly what our local industry needs to bridge the gap between Vietnam and international markets. At this point in time, glossing glamorization is no longer an attraction to solidify a substantial infrastructure backed by foreign investors.

Why? Because they have seen all kinds of glamor already - of course, they are in Hollywood!

This claim is not baseless. Recently, A24 independent company as an art house that makes films disengaged from Hollywood’s commercialized assumptions, featuring auteurs like Celine Song or Ari Aster, is valued at USD $2.5 billion. It is now bolstered by Wall Street as a new contender for Hollywood. So, is it necessary to build an utterly and otherworldly new world to put Vietnam on the map? I don’t think so.

“Mai” as a co-production between Tran Thanh Town and CJ ENM, a South Korean entertainment conglomerate, is a prelude to this international transformation.

So What?

‘So what?’ is always a good starting place for food for thoughts. But in this case, how do we even start making sense of Trấn Thành as an auteur? 

Wait, let’s scratch that.

Do we even know if Trấn Thành, himself, identifies as an auteur? 

One thing we know for a certain is Trấn Thành and his crew’s impact on the Vietnamese film industry cannot be overstated. 

OKAY, I’M SOBBING IN THE CORNER

Let me pull my LinkedIn move real quick.

I’m happy, honoured and flabbergasted to share that this piece is a collaboration between The Produced and V2X Magazine, one of the most dynamic hubs for all-thing fashion, music, and culture in Vietnam.

Living away from my hometown, reading V2X is the bridge for me to stay in-touch with exponential growth of Vietnam, especially in our sprouting entertainment industry.

Shout out to V2X for translating this piece!

Visit their website HERE to read it in Vietnamese (if you really want to put that Duolingo grind into practice)