The film 'Brilliant Horizon' and 'Cultural Man' by Ha Anh Tuan

Watching Brilliant Horizon, you can see both the cultural personality of Ha Anh Tuan and the emotional documentary style of Lan Nguyen.

Director Lan Nguyen - Photo: NVCC

Starting from the "order" of Ha Anh Tuan's crew "wanting to record the best things about a concert that they feel proud of", Radiant Horizon directed by Lan Nguyen, inspired by Ha Anh Tuan's concert of the same name at the festival grounds of King Dinh and King Le temples in the ancient capital of Hoa Lu ( Ninh Binh ) in February 2023, went beyond that original simple purpose to become much more special.

Within the framework of the 15th European - Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival recently held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Bright Horizon was one of four independent documentaries introduced.

Mr. Ha Anh Tuan is the investor of the film but he did not interfere or influence the content, nor did he say that I had to make a film praising him. That is why I see him as "big".

Director Lan Nguyen

Finding answers about the origin

Brilliant Horizon followed Ha Anh Tuan to Ninh Binh - his hometown - to perform a concert. Here, the crew met the people of the ancient capital, especially the children singing Xam, standing in the middle of the vast and majestic sky and land, then asked many questions about culture and origin as well as themselves.

Lan Nguyen also cleverly inserted the touching story of a French woman finding her Vietnamese roots in the program Like a separation.

At the same time, interviewing journalist Thu Uyen - the host of the program - which according to Ha Anh Tuan is "a place where people are looking for the roots of their compatriots", makes Radiant Horizon more flavorful and profound.

Initially, the film followed the idea of ​​four seasons in a year, the director also filmed all four seasons in Ninh Binh. However, when editing, Lan Nguyen realized that there was a very natural and broader connection between seeds - trees - forests - roots.

Since childhood, Lan Nguyen has been "obsessed" with where she is from because she was born and raised in Lam Dong , but some people say she is from the North.

Listening to Ha Anh Tuan define "origin as the parents' hometown, the ancestors' land", Nguyen found that "not necessarily correct" because she herself "does not have much connection with the place she was born".

It was that dissatisfaction that pushed the director to dig deeper into the film's idea, also to find answers for himself.

Ha Anh Tuan (left cover) and the children singing Xam songs from his hometown - Photo: Producer

Lan Nguyen told Tuoi Tre that in the final scenes, standing in the middle of Ninh Binh's sky and earth, she felt so small but also very secure and steadfast because she knew who she was.

As journalist Thu Uyen said: "I stand on the ground and I know that under my feet is the earth", "blood is red and tears are salty".

The film incorporates the story of a French woman returning to Vietnam to find her identity in the program As if there had never been a separation - Photo: Producer

Emotional documentary voice

Brilliant Horizon was filmed for more than two years at many famous locations in Ninh Binh such as Tam Coc, Van Long lagoon, Bai Dinh, Cuc Phuong... Ninh Binh is not only the setting but also the "character" that leads viewers (and the director himself) to explore cultural identity.

The film includes many stories and messages about the gratitude of young people to their homeland, country, grandparents, and roots, smoothly transitioning between the parts of seeds - trees - forests - roots. In some places, the director seems too greedy, taking on too many details; Lan Nguyen herself admitted that she was "too greedy because the story was too big".

Some scenes in the movie - Photo: Producer

There are beautiful moments in the film, such as the ending scene of the concert, the stage lights gradually dimmed, Ha Anh Tuan stood there in the darkness, in the middle of the vastness, in silence. The film is black and white, the image and voice of the artist mixed with the sound of flowing water, fields...

The film depicts the artist's identity in a subtle and emotional way. Ha Anh Tuan is like a person who travels through and keeps the fire of time. A man of culture right on his own stage.

As he confided in the film, some people say we live many lives. In his dreams, he saw himself as a king, a patriotic soldier, sometimes as a comedian with a smile on his lips but always holding a sadness in his heart when night falls.

Sometimes I am a singer standing in front of everyone and believing that when I close my eyes and leave this life, I will ask for time to experience and live other lives.

Japanese artist Kitaro said, "When we are quiet, we hear more than birdsong. Silence is also a kind of music." That moment of silence is truly one of the most precious scenes in this documentary.

The film ends with a scene of Ha Anh Tuan walking alone in the vastness of Ninh Binh - Photo: Producer

The music in the film is impressive, strongly connecting the viewers' emotions. From Ninh Binh, my hometown, the Xam Thap Am Cong cha ngai me sinh sanh, Tinh ca, Nguoi di xuyen thoi gian, Khong no nhung cuoc chia ly to Nguoi Viet Nam, Bonjour Viet Nam, Nhung de con cua rong, Xin cha Viet Nam ... The film opens with the title "to Ninh Binh, to Vietnam"; there is a beautiful dream of Vietnam shining brightly in its own cultural heritage.

Representative of the STORII crew, director Cao Trung Hieu said that after the European - Vietnamese Documentary Film Festival, the film Radiant Horizon is expected to be shown to audiences in Ho Chi Minh City and Ninh Binh in the near future.

From The Color of Withered Grass , Lan Nguyen has brought to independent filmmakers a very emotional documentary voice. In this film, she made emotional documentaries, telling her own stories, so when watching the film, we not only see the characters but also see what the author thinks about the characters, how the characters live in their time.

Director Nguyen Hoang Diep

BEAN DUNG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phim-chan-troi-ruc-ro-va-con-nguoi-van-hoa-cua-ha-anh-tuan-20250921101442118.htm