Phát plays Nam, a technical intern from Việt Nam who is caught up in a murder case, in the Japanese film Come and Go. Photo jff.jpf.go.jp

HÀ NỘI — Come and Go, the Japanese film starring Vietnamese actor Liên Bỉnh Phát, will be screened in theatres across Japan tomorrow.

In the film, Phát plays Nam, a technical intern from Việt Nam who is caught up in a murder case.

“Come and Go is the first international film that I have participated in, in which I have the opportunity to work with the Japanese film crew, especially director Lim Kah Wai,” the Vietnamese actor wrote on his Facebook page.

The actor expressed excitement that the film will be introduced to Japanese viewers after two years of work.

"The producers hoped to introduce the film at the Hanoi International Film Festival last year, but unfortunately the event was cancelled. What a pity that the Vietnamese audience missed the opportunity to see the film,” Phát told vnexpress.net.

“I hope that the film will be well received in Japan and that I will be able to interact with the audience soon via virtual platforms."

The 30-year-old actor went to Japan in April 2019 and stayed for a week to act in Come and Go.

He was introduced to director Lim Kah Wai by director Phan Gia Nhật Linh after his successful performance in Song Lang (The Tap Box). After watching the screening of the Vietnamese film at the 2018 Tokyo International Film Festival, Lim Kah Wai invited Phát to star in his upcoming work.

In his first time acting in a foreign film, Phát said that he was both excited and nervous. He revealed that his biggest difficulty is language. In Come and Go, he spoke both Japanese and Vietnamese. In order to prepare for his scenes, the actor spent many days learning and practising the language.

“What I learned in this project is professionalism and discipline. The Japanese are very serious, always on time, careful in every detail.”

He also said that he was not interested in payment. Instead, he considered it a chance to have new experiences and hoped that Vietnamese actors would become more popular internationally.

Born in 1990 in the southern province of Kiên Giang, Phát became familiar to Vietnamese audiences with parts in many successful films like Song Lang (The Tap Box), Ngôi Nhà Bươm Bướm (Butterfly House) and Quý Cô Thừa Kế (The Heiress).

He won the Gemstone Award for newcomers at the Tokyo International Film Festival in 2018 and was honoured as "New Asian Star" at the Asian Stars Up Next Award a year later.

Set in Osaka during cherry blossom season, Come and Go begins when people discover the body of an old woman in an old apartment and follows a detective as he investigates the murder.

The film also stars Japanese actor Seiji Chihara, Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng, and J.C. Chee, a national star in Malaysia. It was screened at the 2020 Tokyo International Film Festival.

Director Lim Kah Wai, born in 1973, is a Chinese – Malaysian director who is based in Osaka, Japan. Some of his renowned works include his debut After All These Years, Magic and Loss, New World and Fly me to Minami.

“The theme of the movie is about how we are losing the ability or the capacity to take notice of the existence of the people around us, people we pass on the street or randomly come in contact to, and to care about them when we are all just trying our best to deal with our own struggles in life,” the director said.

“Since that time the pandemic began and is still not over. These are trying times, but I am filled with emotion as we announce the theatrical release of this film.

“I hope you enjoy this thrilling, nail-biting film with an unprecedented number of storylines, and take a strong interest in how the characters manage to survive in Japan”. VNS