Simply titled Kiều, the adaptation will hit theaters on March 5.
Galaxy Cinema and other local movie theaters released the trailer on their YouTube pages last week following a teaser trailer that arrived last September.
The film, directed and produced by actress Mai Thu Huyền, is the latest re-imagining of Nguyễn Du's epic 1820 poem that many consider Vietnam's most famous work of literature. The film has been a decade in the making and was originally envisioned as a television series.
COVID-19 and social distancing delayed filming until June 2019, and it was shot in Hue, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Cao Bang, Phu Tho and Saigon. Trình Thi My Duyen, Miss Ao Dai Vietnam 2017, will play the role of Thúy Kiều. Huyền explains that she chose someone who was not known to be an actress because she wants audiences to see her as the character and not a celebrity that they are already familiar with.
The teaser trailer sparked some controversy as the clothing is not accurate to the time period it took place in and a tavern sign written in quốc ngữ. Speaking at an event at Fulbright University Vietnam titled “Nguyen Du and Contemporaries," Huyền explained that some liberties were taken with the text so the film would connect with younger audiences. “Each form of art has a different kind of expression and a different approach to the audience, so is the movie Kiều. This movie is independent from the original work,” she said.
Before filming began, Huyền explained that she doesn't want audiences to pity the character as in the poem, but rather see her as a model of female resilience. “I wanted to make Kiều more contemporary rather than dating back 300 years. Her inner beauty and strength should win over audiences’ hearts."
Check out the trailer below:
Video via Galaxy Cinema's Facebook.
[Top image via Galaxy Cinema's YouTube page.]
