Thriller on Vietnamese folk stories released

NEW THRILLER-  Artists perform in the thriller Linh Miêu (Spirit Whisker-The Revenant) by blockbuster film director Lưu Thành Luân of HCM City. It is based on Vietnamese folk stories. Photo courtesy of Thiên Ngân Galaxy.

HCM CITY— Linh Miêu (Spirit Whisker-The Revenant), a thriller based on Vietnamese folk stories, will be in cinemas on January 22.

The work features a story inspired by Vietnamese urban legends and folklore.

It tells the story of young women living in a wealthy family in the ancient city of Huế in the 1960s. Love’s dark side of glory, money, and betrayal are featured. Social and family issues are also included.

Subtitled in English, Linh Miêu features Vietnamese-American actress Hồng Đào, who has more than 35 years in the industry, in a lead role.

Đào graduated from the HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography. She quickly became widely known in both theatre and movies in the 1980s-90s.

She left HCM City to resettle in San Jose, California, United States. She has performed in several films by talented filmmakers in HCM City.

URBAN LEGENDS: Director Lưu Thành Luân’s new film, Linh Miêu (Spirit Whisker-The Revenant), features a story inspired by Vietnamese urban legends and folklore. Photo courtesy of Galaxy Studio.

Director Lưu Thành Luân and his staff worked hard on more than 600 film scenes using computer-generated imagery (CGI) effects.

They also spent several weeks shooting to capture the beauty of Huế City, one of the country’s famous tourist destinations. The traditional culture and lifestyle of Huế people are also highlighted.

“Vietnamese folklore has many stories with spiritual and supernatural features that stimulate the creativity of filmmakers,” said director Luân. “I hope my new film, Linh Miêu, will entertain moviegoers and become a Christmas blockbuster in Việt Nam this year.”

FAMOUS ACTRESS: Vietnamese-American actress Hồng Đào (central) performs a lead role in Linh Miêu (Spirit Whisker-The Revenant), a thriller by blockbuster film director Lưu Thành Luân of HCM City. Photo courtesy of Galaxy Studio

Luân’s previous film, Quỷ Cầu (Demon Dog), is also a thriller based on a supernatural folk story.

The film focuses on the spiritual and psychological aspects of a family involved in the long-standing dog meat trade, depicting how dogs are killed, creating haunting and chilling scenes.

It earned more than VNĐ108 billion (US$4.24 million) at the box office after its release in 2022, making it a big surprise for Vietnamese cinema, despite criticism of its Computer-Generated Imagerytechnology. — VNS