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| Artists, researchers and filmmakers engage in dialogue on Vietnamese War Cinema Post-Reunification. Photo courtesy of DANAFF |
By Trần Khánh An
ĐÀ NẴNG — The war film Địa Đạo – Mặt Trời Trong Bóng Tối (Tunnel: Sun In The Dark) by director Bùi Thạc Chuyên became the focal point of analysis at the seminar ‘The Legacy of Vietnamese War Cinema Post-Reunification’ during the Đà Nẵng Asia Film Festival 2025 (DANAFF III) this week.
Associate Professor Dr. Phạm Xuân Thạch, School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts, Việt Nam National University, Hà Nội, described the box office performance of Tunnels: Sun In The Dark as “legendary.”
Within just two months of release, the film grossed VNĐ 172 billion.
Screenwriter Trịnh Thanh Nhã noted that the film is a pure war film infused with an epic and heroic spirit.
What sets Bùi Thạc Chuyên apart, she said, was his deliberate choice of a confined, almost suffocating setting, one that creates a strong psychological logic behind the characters’ need to rise, to break free from a claustrophobic state they are forced to endure for survival and ultimate victory.
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| A scene in ‘Tunnel: Sun In The Dark’ by director Bùi Thạc Chuyên. Photo courtesy of HKFilm |
“Though the film’s storyline may not be groundbreaking,” she added, “its realistic portrayal of the setting, carefully crafted dramatic situations, vivid scenes of bombs, floods inside the tunnels, and Bùi Thạc Chuyên’s signature finesse in handling intimate scenes, all of this contributed to a uniquely gripping film that sparked widespread public interest.”
Writer Châu La Việt also praised the film, saying it evoked the nation’s struggle for independence in a deeply epic and heroic tone. Tunnels: Sun In The Dark made history as the highest-grossing revolutionary historical film of all time in Việt Nam.
New perspectives on war films
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| Director Bùi Thạc Chuyên. Photo courtesy of DANAFF |
Decades after the end of the war, a new generation of filmmakers, many born long after the war, are bringing fresh voices and nuanced perspectives to the genre of war cinema.
Their works reflect a shift from traditional heroic narratives to more human, reflective and sometimes critical portrayals of the war experience.
Director Đào Duy Phúc pointed out that by the 2000s, nearly 30 years had passed since the end of the war, providing young directors with enough temporal distance to contemplate it with deeper objectivity.
“War is not only a shining medal of glory,” he noted, “but also carries shadows and hidden pain.”
Today, these filmmakers face a unique challenge – how to renew the war and revolutionary genre in ways that remain faithful to historical truths while resonating with contemporary sensibilities.
Đào Duy Phúc remarked that young directors approaching the topic without having directly lived through war allowed for a more humanistic and unbiased perspective.
Unlike earlier war films that often leaned heavily into heroic praise, younger filmmakers had turned their lens toward the post-war period, exploring the inner turmoil, lingering trauma and silent struggles of those who survived.
Director Đặng Thái Huyền added that modern war films were more dialogic.
“Since 1975, filmmakers have had greater freedom to reflect on the war from a broader and more layered viewpoint,” she said.
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| Director Đặng Thái Huyền. Photo courtesy of DANAFF |
War is no longer a “restricted zone” in cinema. Contemporary films are now able to present diverse viewpoints – including those of the other side – and explore themes and angles that were once avoided or untouched.
“In the past, war films were primarily propaganda tools,” Huyền added. “Today, they are commercial products. They sell tickets, and they engage in an honest dialogue with the audience. This open conversation challenges filmmakers to create better, more thoughtful works.”
This evolution in perspective is also reshaping how war films connect with today’s audiences.
Thạch observed that young directors were redefining the heroic discourse of war by expanding its narrative boundaries.
“They complicate our understanding of war, humanise its characters and particularly, bring forward post-war trauma as a deeply human story,” he said.
However, for this genre to truly thrive, Thạch emphasised the need for openness, both in film policy and in funding mechanisms, to support independent cinema and encourage more diverse storytelling.
Huyền agreed, stressing that investment in revolutionary war films must continue, but not merely to reproduce past glories. Instead, she said, these films should work to uncover hidden truths, open new conversations with the past and offer fresh dialogues for both audiences and filmmakers. — VNS
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