Vietnamese filmmaker Truong Minh Quy grew to become an on the spot arthouse favourite at Cannes in 2024 together with his spectacular third function Viet and Nam. Simply over a yr later, Quy is again with a brand new venture, co-directed together with his frequent collaborator Nicolas Graux (Century of Smoke).
Hair, Paper, Water…, or Tóc, giấy và nước…, within the unique Vietnamese, debuts this night within the Concorso Cineasti del Presente Competitors at Locarno.
Shot over three years on a classic Bolex digicam, the movie is a wealthy portrait of an aged, unnamed girl who, born in a cave greater than 60 years in the past, now lives in a village caring for her youngsters and grandchildren. The movie captures her day by day life and the transmission of her fragile native language, Rục, to the youthful generations, as she goals of her deceased mom calling her dwelling to her mountain cave.
The movie was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff of Petit Chaos, the corporate behind Payal Kapadia’s groundbreaking function debut All We Think about As Gentle, alongside Julie Freres. Italian-based gross sales firm Lights On is dealing with the venture, which has been a major level of intrigue at Locarno.
Graux and Truong beforehand co-directed the brief Porcupine (2023), which premiered at Rotterdam and received the jury prize for greatest creative contribution at Pink Screens Movie Pageant.
Talking to us forward of in the present day’s premiere, the pair discusses how their skilled collaboration started, why they determined to shoot Hair, Paper, Water... utilizing a classic Bolex digicam, and the way what they described as cinema’s quickly altering relationship to techonology formed their movie.
“This dialogue about expertise will not be purely aesthetic; it’s not about which movie appears digital or filmic. The language of cinema has modified,” Quy explains.
Learn the interview beneath. Locarno ends on August 16.
DEADLINE: How did you two meet?
NICOLAS GRAUX: We met in Brussels simply earlier than COVID. Quy was finding out in France. We lived collectively all through the pandemic and commenced exhibiting one another our earlier works and exchanging concepts. I noticed The Tree Home, Quy’s earlier documentary. He made that earlier than Viet and Nam. The primary character of that movie can also be the principle character in Hair, Paper, Water. Quy advised me that throughout the manufacturing of The Tree Home, she had as soon as advised him that if her valley will get flooded, she would return to her cave by boat. That picture caught in our heads, and we thought it might be one other movie. That’s how we constructed the concept of this film.
TRUONG MINH QUY: Originally of this course of, we unintentionally discovered a Bolex digicam in our room underneath a mattress. It belonged to Nicolas’s good friend and had been there for a number of years. We’d each shot on movie earlier than, however by no means on a Bolex, which may be very small and restricted in its capabilities. It’s a really classic digicam. So once we found that digicam and the concept of the girl touring again to her dwelling on water, we knew we’d use the Bolex.
DEADLINE: Wow, did you shoot with only one Bolex? They’re fairly temprimental aren’t they?
GRAUX: We had two Bolex cameras. With a Bolex, you solely have three-minute rolls. And every time you utilize the crank, you possibly can shoot for about 30 seconds most.
QUY: It’s like TikTok.
GRAUX: It’s primitive TikTok. On one aspect, it’s important to watch out about what you shoot as a result of you possibly can’t redo it a number of occasions. Conversely, it additionally frees you as a result of you recognize that the digicam itself is shaping the movie’s language. For instance, throughout manufacturing, I used to be in a position to react to what I used to be seeing round me, like filming a canine sitting subsequent to me for 15 seconds or a hibiscus flower underneath the rain. These moments might not have narrative features, however they offer form to the movie.
DEADLINE: The Bolex can’t report sound correct? How did you get round that? The movie has such a vivid soundscape.
QUY: We labored with three totally different sound recordists. There isn’t any synchronized sound on the Bolex. And it’s unattainable to make use of a clapperboard since you solely have 30 seconds to shoot, so all of the sound within the movie was pre-created sound on a set.
DEADLINE: And when did you shoot this? How lengthy did it take? Are you able to discuss me by means of the manufacturing. Was it earlier than Viet and Nam?
GRAUX: We had two predominant taking pictures intervals with a two-year hole in between. That’s why, within the movie, you see that all of a sudden the boy had grown. That’s not one thing we deliberate, however we got here again to the village two years later as a result of we knew we needed to shoot extra.
QUY: The primary shoot was simply earlier than Viet and Nam in 2022. And we completed taking pictures in December 2024.
DEADLINE: Did you discover it simpler to construct the manufacturing and lift funds throughout the second shoot due to the Viet and Nam success?
QUY: Once we began financing the movie, we determined, with Thomas, Julien, and the opposite producers, that we didn’t need it to be large. We simply needed to seek out sufficient cash so we are able to have time. And the crew in Vietnam was very small. We had 4 or 5 folks. For me, it was fortunate that I made a decision to shoot this movie earlier than Viet and Nam. If I needed to begin now, I don’t assume I might have sufficient power to do that.
DEADLINE: Because the movie unravels, it turns into clear that the seemingly mundane elements of the characters’ lives are the fabric features of passing down traditions like language. Was that narrative clear from the beginning?
QUY: In the course of the first shoot, we knew that we want to do one thing with the language, however we weren’t so certain how. It grew to become clearer throughout the modifying course of between the primary and second shoot. That’s once we went again and constructed the movie across the language. The development of the movie is definitely tremendous fundamental. You see one thing on display screen, and you then hear a phrase to explain that factor. It’s like a visible dictionary. And we like that, the connection between picture and sound. I truly spoke with the principle character from our movie yesterday, and she or he had a customer, an archivist who had come to report the language. It’s nice that persons are additionally excited about archiving her language.
DEADLINE: It’s fascinating that you just describe the movie’s building as fundamental. I’d argue that it might be fundamental, but it surely feels revelatory as a result of cinema that really features as visible communication is so uncommon as of late.
QUY: Sure, this movie calls again to earlier cinema traditions like silent films, household films, and filmmakers like Jonas Mekas. We didn’t intend to create a house film. Nevertheless, one factor we observed that had modified throughout the three years of manufacturing is the fast change of expertise in relation to filmmaking. Individuals have already stopped speaking to one another and now discuss to computer systems. This dialogue about expertise will not be purely aesthetic; it’s not about which movie appears digital or filmic. The language of cinema has modified. I don’t care if this movie is sweet or not. This movie is as an alternative about making a venture that has one thing to say or holds qualities that stick with you. And there’s one thing human in that.
DEADLINE: How would you want this movie to be seen by audiences. I may see it within the gallery area, as an illustration.
GRAUX: For us, it’s fairly clear that it’s for cinema, particularly as a result of this movie brings our predominant character again to her cave. There may be darkness within the cave, and that may be a feeling that you just solely get in cinemas while you face the large display screen.
