Banned films, banned movies
(Baonghean.vn) - Instead of arguing about a film that reflects social reality from an artistic perspective, we should spend that time teaching our children about contraception and safe sex. Because films can be censored and banned, but it's much harder to control our children.
I was planning to see a Vietnamese film in theaters when I heard that the production company had requested a halt to screenings to protect the lead actor from public backlash. It's a bit disappointing because it's not every day you find a Vietnamese film that isn't a slapstick comedy.
The film depicts Vietnamese women in feudal society, specifically their lives under a polygamous and patriarchal system where women were seen as tools for procreation, and their status within the family and society was determined by the sex of their children. There would be nothing remarkable about the film if it didn't contain explicit scenes and if the lead actress hadn't been a 12-year-old girl at the time of its production. After only four days of domestic release, the director personally requested that the film be withdrawn from theaters to protect the child actress from public criticism. Prior to this, the film had been licensed for theatrical release in over 20 countries worldwide, won international awards, and received high praise from critics on reputable film review websites.
I think those who speak out against using actors under 18 for 18+ scenes have a point. If I were the girl's mother, I certainly wouldn't agree to my child doing those scenes. But I'm not her mother, and neither are netizens. We have the right to disagree, and there are many ways to express that disagreement in a civilized manner. For example, don't buy tickets to see the movie (and don't watch the free leaked version online either, to truly boycott it). Note that the film has already passed censorship and is allowed to be screened, and our country's film censorship isn't exactly lax. Many Vietnamese blockbusters have been censored from the outset, but being censored by the public like this film is probably a first.
Personally, I'm not too concerned about the potential negative impact of explicit scenes in films on children, given the current sensitive nature of pedophilia. Just because something is negative doesn't automatically turn into something positive, especially when it comes to issues related to gender and sexuality. Instead of arguing about a film that reflects social reality from an artistic perspective (no one seems to be criticizing the explicit or offensive scenes), we should spend that time teaching our children about contraception and safe sex. Films can be censored and banned, but it's much harder to control our children.