‘Intersection 8675’: A ‘halfway’ journey to find Vietnamese culture

According to the manufacturer, Intersection 8675 is a movie that plays a role in promoting and introducing Vietnamese tourism to friends around the world. The film consists of three stories, revolving around the chance meeting of characters with different personalities, at “intersections” that will change lives.

In the first story, Loi Tran plays an arrogant kick boxer, always looking for the strongest opponents to confront. While returning to Binh Dinh to convince an old opponent (Ngoc Ho) to return to the ring, the boxer “clashed” with the masters here, thereby enlightening the true truth of martial arts.

Logan (Rocker Nguyen) is a busy young businessman who always puts work first. At the hotel bar, he meets a foreign girl named Jess (Emma Le). Before boarding the flight home, Jess urged Logan to join her in learning about the cultural beauty of Saigon’s streets. The feelings between them gradually arose.

Leon (Isaac) is a top singer, “on a deadline” for ideas for a new song. He came to Ninh Binh to both relieve stress and find inspiration. Hiring the wrong “fake” tour guide Phi Phi (La Thanh), Leon goes through a turbulent journey, both crying and laughing. But thanks to that, he was able to experience the beautiful beauty of the southernmost land of the Northern Delta.

Vietnamese landscapes and culinary culture through flattering frames

Having worked as an advertising director, Tan DS promoted his strengths in images right from the first minutes. The boxing ring is characterized by direct shots, showing off typical jabs, hooks, etc., as well as Loi Tran’s solid body. When the character rides a motorbike along the sandy beach of Binh Dinh, the filmmaker uses a flycam to capture the entire picture with beautiful symmetry. Basically, the look of the Intersection 8675 Not disruptive, but effective.

In each location, the film chose to record famous landscapes such as Quang Trung museum, Ky Co beach (Binh Dinh), Bach Dang wharf, Han Thuyen park (HCMC), Co Vien Lau, Van Long lagoon (Ho Chi Minh City). Ninh Binh). In the story of Isaac and La Thanh, the scenery in Van Long lagoon is beautifully portrayed, with a magnificent flora and fauna population. The gentle, relaxing natural scene also contrasts well with the busy, anxious personality of the singer played by Isaac, thereby helping the third story become the most coherent and fluent.

On the contrary, the journey to exploit the beauty of Ho Chi Minh City from morning to night is a weakness, focusing only on very superficial aspects that cannot be considered cultural representatives: double-decker buses, the City Post Office. streets, roadside snail shops, nightclubs… Inside Saigon, I love you good Song langthe filmmaker once described the “features of Saigon” that made the audience burst into tears, such as the beauty in the market scene at dawn, Southern Cai Luong, the beauty of the streets after the rain.

In the description of regional specialties, the filmmaker uses the same formula: the screen switches to a monochrome background, the dish is quickly prepared by the chef’s hands from ingredient to shape. These scenes are accompanied by narration, helping viewers clearly understand the essence of the dish. This style directly targets the eye, similar to commercials on the market. However, within the framework of a movie, this approach unintentionally loses the poetry in each frame.

The script is not its strength

The film belongs to the anthology genre, consisting of three separate stories, connected only by a few minor details. To express the true spirit of tourism promotion, the three stories have short scripts, no plot twists, focusing only on the images. Originally, this approach would be more suitable for single-line films, when the filmmaker only exploits one plot, but focuses depth on each element and character that makes up that plot.

Usually, the anthology genre will need “money-making” twists or creative narratives that challenge the viewing habits of the mass audience. That is also the reason why in the world, multi-plot series such as Black Mirror, New York, I Love You, The French Dispatch… successful again.

Therefore, viewers easily feel “halfway” when watching Intersection 8675. The three short films are all familiar. Specifically in the first story, the boxer’s journey is quite similar in spirit to the series Karate Kid good Cobra Kai – The character gradually becomes arrogant and conceited and gradually realizes that his martial arts knowledge is still limited. However, due to the limited time of the short film, the change in the main character is not clear. Not to mention, in some scenes, the filmmaker inserted unnecessary effects and sounds.

The second story resembles the motif of three famous romantic movies Before, previously portrayed by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. The two characters will go through famous local locations, maintaining the film’s rhythm thanks to emotional conversations. Inherently, this method of filmmaking is very difficult, as the script has many complex dialogues, requiring careful research.

Intersection 8675have not been able to do this. Rocker Nguyen’s physical advantages or Emma Le’s hybrid beauty are factors that brighten the film. However, the dialogue is mainly back and forth sentences, easily found in English speaking videos, lacking cinematic quality. The acting of both is only at an acceptable level, not “fire” enough, so it is difficult to convince the audience.

Looking back, if we consider acting alone, it seems that Loi Tran and Isaac are better. Loi Tran can act with his eyes, showing the arrogance and inner strength, mixed with a bit of triumph of a champion. Not to mention, he performed most of the martial arts scenes in the movie himself.

Isaac is originally a singer, but is not a stranger to the seventh art with cinematic works such as Song lang, Monster brother, Love song writing season… The role of singer Leon is not too big, similar to Isaac in real life, helping him feel more comfortable in juggling with La Thanh.

Considering the willingness to introduce Vietnamese culture and tourism to friends around the world, Intersection 8675 has a relatively well-rounded performance. The work still has many limitations in the script stage, but it is also an admirable start for director Tan DS. According to the manufacturerIntersection 8675 has the potential to develop into a series if the film has positive results at the Vietnamese box office, creating conditions for the film crew to further introduce the beauty of other localities.