Hoang Sa-Vietnam: the pain and losses
(VOVworld) – The documentary film “Hoang Sa-Vietnam: the pain and losses” reflects the simple life of fishermen in Binh Chau island commune and Ly Son island district in Quang Ngai province. The film has recently been screened in Vietnam after it was introduced in a number of countries. Stories of widows, orphans and parents who lost their children at sea have touched the hearts of viewers. Le Phuong reports:
 |
The 59-minute film starts with a verse cited by a woman from the central region: “Hoang Sa immense water/One left and did not return” at dawn in Binh Chau fishing village. The main characters are the fishermen, particularly women whose husbands and sons did not return from their fishing trips. The widows tell their own stories. Tran Thi Nga, a pensioner in Hanoi could not hold back her tears: “I sympathize with the daily hardships of the people in the central region. I watch the film and feel sorry for them. The women are young and they have lost their husbands. Their loss is very painful.”
Director Andre Menras – Ho Cuong Quyet of both French and Vietnamese nationality and his crew spent 3 months to observe and record the lives of fishermen in Binh Chau and Ly Son. The director has used simple conversations in Vietnamese between him and the characters during which they told him their own stories. This makes his film close to life.
Pham Van Chung, a lecturer at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities said the fishermen are heroes in everyday life because they help to protect Vietnam’s traditional fishing grounds: “I admire the will of the fishermen. Of course fishing is what they do to earn a living but by doing so they help to defend our sovereignty over Hoang Sa.”
What impresses viewers most is the sharing of the poor widows. Behind the scene, filmmakers could not hold back their tears when listening to their stories.
Before watching the film, Mr. Nguyen Quy Hiep thought it would reflect the hardships of the fishermen in Hoang Sa. But what touched him most was the vivid images of their families. Hiep said: “I cried for the fishermen and the hardships they endure. I’m thankful to the director who reflects the real situation there. I felt deep sympathy to see the children losing their father and the mother crying while holding their children. Although the film is short, it truly reflects the difficulties of the fishermen.”
The film closes with the image of symbolic graves and clay figurines and once again the citation of the verse “Hoang Sa immense water/One left and did not return”.