"The Returnee": Echoes of War and Faces of Peace

The event was organized as a tribute to the soldiers who lived and dedicated their lives to the independence of the nation. After the film screening, the panel discussed post-war war literature and the issues of adapting these works to the screen.

“The Returner” is based on the short story “The One at Chau River Wharf” by writer Suong Nguyet Minh. The film is a story about life in the post-war period interwoven with scenes of fierce battlefields. The main character of the film is May - a brave female military doctor who spent her youth on the battlefield. When peace was restored, May quietly returned with both physical and mental trauma and continued new “wars”.

The film screening event received the attention of many students from many different majors and universities. Photo: Nguyen Tram

Attending the film screening and discussion were lecturers - veterans of the Faculty of Literature, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, VNU - teachers who returned from the battlefield; author of the story "Nguoi o wharf song Chau" - writer Suong Nguyet Minh and representative of the film crew "Nguoi tro ve" (People's Army Cinema) - Deputy Director Nguyen Quang Quyet. The program also had the presence of representatives of the Faculty of Literature Board and lecturers of many generations from different departments in the Faculty.

In her opening speech, Dr. Nguyen Thi Nam Hoang - Deputy Head of the Faculty of Literature - thanked the Cinema Club (Department of Art Studies) for the initiative to organize this meaningful event; as well as expressed her admiration for the poetic story of writer Suong Nguyet Minh - a story that has inspired many Vietnamese directors. In particular, she expressed her respect for the living witnesses - the veteran teachers who went through the war, contributed to the cause of national liberation and returned to develop the Faculty of Literature today.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Nam Hoang gave the opening speech at the film screening. Photo: Nguyen Tram.

In the discussion after the screening, Mr. Nguyen Ba Thanh commented: The film successfully portrayed both the tragic atmosphere mixed with the heroic spirit of those unforgettable days. Mr. Pham Thanh Hung also expressed: “The Returning Person” evokes the atmosphere of setting out when the battlefield calls, helping us veterans to find a bygone era with all its heroic and glorious qualities.”

Discussing the issue of adapting the short story “The Man at the Chau River Wharf”, writer Suong Nguyet Minh not only looked at the film through the eyes of the author but also as a soldier who had experienced the war. According to him, the film still has some regrettable points when it cannot completely recreate the wartime scene. But he also emphasized that it is difficult to describe the war completely.

Writer Suong Nguyet Minh interacts with the audience. Photo: Nguyen Tram

As a film researcher, Mr. Tran Hinh also discussed: although there are still some unreasonable points, not making good use of the original literary script, but this can still be considered a successful film with a script about May's tragic love story. He also especially appreciated the talent of 8x female director Dang Thai Huyen.

Representing the film crew, Deputy Director Nguyen Quang Quyet shared: when people are too impressed by something, it will be difficult to accept something else, and this is the pressure for young directors making war films and film adaptations. He is like other young people born in peace, only knowing about war through literary works and documentaries. Moreover, filmmaking also depends a lot on funding and audiences. He emphasized that the deeper he digs into this topic, the more he feels that his generation has a huge historical debt.

Deputy director Nguyen Quang Quyet shared with the students: "Young people at the University of Humanities, especially those who love art, let's join hands and learn more about this topic; because this topic is extremely vast." Photo: Nguyen Tram

The screening of “The Returned” and the discussion “Post-war Literature and Cinema” helped the audience gain a deeper insight into the war, thereby showing gratitude to the fallen soldiers and appreciating even more those who were lucky enough to return. It was the pain and loss that made them look to the future and live a more beautiful and meaningful life.

Students expressed their emotions after the screening. Photo: Nguyen Tram

The echoes of the film as well as the suggestive discussions of the discussion will certainly remain in the hearts of the audience for a long time, because according to Ms. Hoang Cam Giang - Head of the Department of Art Studies: "Cinema and war literature will accompany the young generation for a long time, because the questions of the past will always be present and become the answers for the present, for the future".