Song Lang (2018)

Original title

Song lang

Directed by

Leon Lê

Genre

drama, music

Country

Vietnam

Runtime

1h 41m

Rating

6.8 of 10 from 20 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

In 1980s Ho Chi Minh City, a debt collector from a family of cai luong performers meets the lead singer of a traditional opera troupe. Their relationship unfolds against the backdrop of the dying art form of cai luong.

melancholicslow-burnintimatenostalgicpoignantmusicalunderstatedreflective

What happens

Song Lang is a 2018 Vietnamese musical drama film directed and edited by Leon Le, and is also his debut film. The film is produced by Ngô Thanh Vân and Irene Trinh, based on the script written by Leon Le and Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc. The film is produced by The Creatv Company and Studio68 and distributed by Lotte Entertainment, with the participation of Isaac, Liên Bỉnh Phát, Minh Phuong, Tu Quyen, Kieu Trinh and Thanh Tu. Set in Ho Chi Minh City in the 1980s, the film revolves around the relationship between Linh Phung, the lead singer of the cai luong troupe Thien Ly, and Dung, a debt collector from a cai luong family. Throughout the film, cai luong music is highlighted and plays a leading role in the entire story line. The film's title itself is also named after a musical instrument that plays the role of keeping the beat in cai luong. The script for Song Lang was conceived by Leon Le in 2012. However, because the original idea was not feasible, after a few years he sought out writer Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc to rewrite a more suitable script. Leon Le spent a year looking for investors for the project but was rejected; Ngo Thanh Van was the last producer he sent the script to and she agreed to produce the work after only two days of reading the script. The film began filming in October 2017. The filming process took place over 32 non-consecutive days, with scenes mainly taken in District 5 of Ho Chi Minh City. Leon Le and composer Hoang Song Viet completely rewrote the lyrics of the cai luong segments in the work; The pop music and ancient music parts were also invested and harmonized with the instruments of a theater troupe in the 1980s. Song Lang had a press conference to premiere at Lotte Cinema Nam Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City on August 16, 2018 and officially screened commercially in Vietnamese cinemas from August 17, 2018 in 2D format. After its release, the film received many compliments from the audience and critics but did not achieve great commercial success, only earning less than 5 billion VND compared to a production cost of up to 20 billion VND. Song Lang has won many major Vietnamese film awards, including the Golden Lotus Prize for Best feature films at the 21st Vietnam Film Festival and the Silver Kite Prize for Best feature films at the 2018 Kite Awards. Since the end of 2018, the film has been sent to premiered at many international film festivals, including the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Beijing International Film Festival, earning more than 30 awards at these film events, and is said to be the Vietnamese film that has won the most international awards ever. Song Lang was also released commercially in Japan and the United States. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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