'Many people of the same age may not have gone further than me'

In his third time as a director, Khuong Ngoc admits that he has entered a new chapter, more calm and thoughtful in perceiving and handling problems. He does not even hesitate to accept criticism because he knows that he can never completely satisfy everyone.

- LIVE-#Live is the third film you directed. In the trailer that was just released, audiences saw many shocking details, including the dialogue. Do you have to restrain from swearing in the film?

During filming, in addition to not being able to control myself, I also encouraged everyone to curse more. Many people even asked me if we were filming a movie. I made two scenarios: go ahead even though it might get cut during censorship or use beeps to “cover” the cursing.

Of course, I would rather choose option 2 for life. No movie has ever beeped so much before. It is also a fun thing for the audience because they can easily understand what the word is. But in the end, I have to choose option 1.

I think back, if anyone regularly watches livestreams, it's quite normal. But some people will say, spending 100,000 VND on a movie ticket just to hear swearing. Everyone understands that swearing is swearing, no matter how heavy or light. Because making a film has to be for the majority, I accept reducing enjoyment instead of increasing discomfort. But while filming, I considered both options, so in the end everything went smoothly without bothering the crew.

Khuong Ngoc launches a new film project called "LIVE-#Livestream".

- Your upcoming film explores the topic of social networks. Many filmmakers have explored this topic. So what is new in your film?

If the film only simulates reality, the audience will go to social networks to watch. I tell people, I choose that material but raise the issue through hypothetical creations. That is how to film the topic in LIVE-#Livestream.

This approach also helps avoid the situation where the audience sees that this already exists in real life, there are movies online, so why buy tickets? Therefore, with what is too familiar, I just skim through. The method of doing it may be the same, but in the next part, how the story will develop is important.

Simply put, when I give you coffee, hot water… it will definitely create 1,000 cups of coffee that cannot be the same. That is how I bring the audience into the story.

- You once said that doing LIVE-#Livestreaming is like responding and receiving signals from the universe?

Before doing this project, Nguyen Ngoc Thach and I worked together on a rather heavy series, adapted from his stories. I was quite interested because this series has many interesting stories and issues. When making films, everyone understands that they have to accept the limitations of content and artistic techniques. Therefore, with this series, I was able to overcome those limits, so I felt even more excited.

After going a while, everyone asked the opposite question: Why not do the light things first, and do the heavy things later. And, finally, the crew decided to start working on the film project first. In essence, the two are closely related.

The series is the origin, the inspiration for us to develop into a film version. I always believe that everything is fate. At first, I thought of making a special series with cinematic quality. And that thought sent to the universe was finally answered: if you want to make a film, do it. That's how the film was born.

- That journey must not be easy?

It was a tough, exhausting journey. There were times when I wondered if I should continue. But, from the beginning we decided to do this for fun. And it really brought a lot of inspiration to all the members of the team.

I also thought, why don’t we try to do it “go with the flow” for once. Every time there is a blockage, we calm down and tomorrow it will be cleared. It’s not a miracle, but everything will be resolved step by step in its own way. And, in the end, everyone agrees.

- You said you ever thought about giving up?

I often have a habit of looking at everyone while working and only caring about myself last. At that time, everyone was exhausted even though my close colleagues told me to just keep going and it would be okay. There was a moment when I stopped in the middle of the set and saw the actors and their assistants falling asleep and lying down exhausted.

I saw everyone was struggling. Even though there were only 10 more scenes left, my mind was telling me to stop, not to make everyone work anymore. I accepted to take on everything. Even though I knew that if I stopped, it would be the end when there was no backup plan. But I thought it was impossible to finish in that state.

At that time, my best friend, DOP Ngoc Cuong (Cuong CU), asked what time it was, should we shoot or cut? At that exact moment, a ray of light flashed, pulling me out of the darkness. The idea came very quickly, filling the screen in my head. At exactly 3:30 am, we recalculated everything, decided to shoot this and that. And so, everything was done.

"I accept to bear all the responsibility."

- When making this film, was Khuong Ngoc still as strange and eccentric as people know him to be?

In my opinion, this film shows my true nature the most. When I am free, I am no longer constrained, and I develop everything to the fullest. But it is not so strange, especially when I feel like I have entered a new chapter of my life.

Interestingly, I sprinkled a lot of what I thought were hidden meanings in the film. Right from the poster, people see squares, circles, and eye shapes. Looking at it, it feels very cramped.

I always wondered when Facebook first appeared, it did not have much impact on each individual. But now, social networks are human life. Admittedly, it is an inevitable trend, but have we asked ourselves if we feel suffocated when we only talk to frames? And in the future, will people only talk to machines?

Those are the questions I ask in the film. The film also reflects that there are people at the bottom who want to rise and there are people who fall from the top. We will choose one of the two, or choose in the middle.

- Do you think you are confusing the audience?

Viewers just watch the movie as usual because it is for everyone, nothing too profound. Maybe those who are on the same wavelength as me will find those interesting things, or even more.

"I feel lucky because I can value myself."

- You've been quiet all this time, do you think you're out of date?

I feel lucky because I can evaluate my own value. Value here is not comparing myself to others. It is not measured in money, but in the joy, happiness, and love of the audience. Status can be here today, and somewhere else tomorrow.

As for the concept of time, it could be the time to make money, the time of peak performance, having a large audience, but in reality it is not necessarily so. There are things that will not be lost. The audience, the amount of money earned can increase, decrease but what we can do will still be there. So why don't we base it on fixed values, just keep chasing after variable values. My thinking may also be contrary to everyone else's. But, I always base it on that to feel truly happy.

Many people of the same age may not have gone further than me. At least in terms of value, I have done many things that are inspirational and creative. From this perspective, whether I am at work, at home or alone, I am still happy. I know, feel and enjoy everything so that I do not have to constantly follow the trend and never be calm.

"Maybe my thinking is contrary to everyone else's."

- But do you want to go back to acting like before?

I don’t know, but I always want to work. Although the position and nature of the work may be different, the essence is the same. If we can’t cooperate, I will build my own boat and find people who are on the same boat to accompany me.

I decided not to sit around and wait, but instead create the characters I wanted, write them down and give myself the opportunity to play them.

Khuong Ngoc

I decided not to sit around and wait, but instead create the characters I wanted, write them down, and give myself the opportunity to play them.

But I also understand this. Some seniors in the profession say that at my age, I often stop because I am not young yet, not old yet. If the role is young or old, they have many choices, so why choose me? I see that I am at that threshold, so I just wait and accept it.

No need to think you are out of date. I also realize that many views are a bit biased. If you look horizontally, you can see that he is taller than everyone else. But vertically, everyone is the same.

So why not think that you are standing with everyone, instead of thinking that you are at the top. In life, it is all about perspective. When you are loved, it is easy to think that you are being praised in the star position. But there are many famous people who still ride motorbike taxis and get along with everyone. No one can deny that they are number 1, the first, the real stars.

- Surely, having children is a big step for you?

Before, I heard many people had children and then knew. I just thought it was nonsense, they were just making excuses. After having children, I realized what they said was true. Since having children, I often tell young men, encourage them to have children because it is wonderful. Children teach you a lot of things.

An Nguyen

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