HCM CITY – A film about love, jealousy and murder, based on a work by Nam Cao, one of Việt Nam’s great litarature figures, will begin post-production in HCM City this week.  

The tragicomedy Chí Phèo Ngoại Truyện (Chí Phèo’s Untold Stories) is produced by YEAH1 CMG, one of HCM City’s private film agencies.

The film depicts the love story between Chí Phèo, a member of the underworld, and Thị Nở, a poor girl, in a modern style that young audiences find attractive.

It is directed by Vietnamese-American Danny Đỗ, a well-known music and film director and producer who lives in the city.  

Danny said he and his staff had worked hard to incorporate simple and humorous language to meet the tastes of their audiences. 

“Each of our talented young actors is a star in the making," said Danny. "They bring an energy and passion to their characters which are extraordinary in people so young.”

The film features famous comedians Thu Trang and Tiến Luật, and young promising talents including Kiều Minh Tuấn, Phương Trinh Jolie, Lilly Nguyễn and Nam Thư.

Pop star Phương Thanh was invited to play a supporting role in the film.  

Chí Phèo Ngoại Truyện is based on Chí Phèo, a short story written by Cao around 1941.

The work involves the decline of moral standards and loss many traditional values related to family and love in a colonial and semi-feudal society in the 1930s and 40s.  

The work is often studied in Vietnamese schools.  

It was adapted into a 90-minute feature film under the name Làng Vũ Đại Ngày Ấy (Vũ Đại Village in the Past), a production by Việt Nam Film Studio and directed by Phạm Văn Khoa in 1982.

"I love working to bring the genius of Nam Cao to young generations. His themes are intensely human, timeless and relevant in any time and culture," Danny said.

Chí Phèo Ngoại Truyện will be released in cinemas in August.—VNS