The Immortal (2018 film)
The Immortal (Vietnamese: Người Bất Tử) is a 2018 Vietnamese film directed by Victor Vu. The twelfth feature film by Vu, it tells the story of a man who has lived across three centuries after making himself immortal through dark magic. US premiered at the 11th Viet Film Fest in 2019 and won the Award for Best Cinematography for a Feature film.[1]
| The Immortal | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg.webp) Film poster | |
| Vietnamese | Người Bất Tử |
| Directed by | Victor Vu |
| Produced by | Jason Ninh Cao Thi Bich Ngoc Tran |
| Written by | Kay Nguyen |
| Starring | Lam Vissay |
| Music by | Christopher Wong |
| Cinematography | Nguyen K'Linh |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | Vietnam |
| Language | Vietnamese |
Synopsis
The film opens with scene An (Dinh Ngoc Diep) constantly sleepwalking, every time she wakes up she is in a distant place. Looking for solutions to these strange dreams, and at the same time finding a way to save the daughter whose cancer is dying everyday, An discovers the life of the immortal man (Quách Ngọc Ngoan) and the dark secrets.
From a gentle young man who is having a beautiful love affair with a beautiful peach named Lien (Jun Vu), Hung is assassinated and lost everything. On the day of his return, Hung yearns to regain everything that was once his own. Ambition and hatred led Hung to seek magic - charms, to fight death and to make those who harm him pay the price. However, "the more magical the spell, the more terrible the price must pay", and the price that Hung has to pay is to become a slave of his own destiny.[2]
Cast
- Quách Ngọc Ngoan as Hung
- Ngọc Diệp as An
- Jun Vu as Lien
- Thanh Tu as Duyen
- François Négret as DeBray
- Lâm Vissay as Khang
- Trương Thế Vinh as Cuong
- Vũ Tuấn Việt as Damien
- Cường Seven as Loc
- Chiều Xuân as Madam Nhung
- Bùi Bài Bình as Thay Ninh
- Nguyễn Văn Báu as Ong Dao
- Tu Trinh as U Bau
- Kim Xuân as Nha Ngoai Cam
- Phi Huyền Trang as Nga
- Duong Tan Giang as Bac Si
- Yến Nhi as Be Linh (Con Gai An)
- Lý Thanh Bình as Chong Cua An
- Huu Thach as Bac Si Cua Debray
- Tấn Thi as Bac Si Trong Tu
Reception
Reviews were mixed. One reviewer stated "the greatest value of the Immortal lies in the effort to pave the way, not the quality. From here, other directors can be more confident to exploit the unfamiliar fantasy genre. When a good movie comes out, one can recall that the Immortal started it all." but criticized "a messy script about details, lack of genre orientation, follows the overly and extremely weak formula in character building." [3]
Another review stated that overall, Immortal is "a very worth watching Vietnamese work, especially for those who are fans of Victor Vu", praising "elaborately invested cinematographic work, novel storylines and ghosts ... Although there is an incomplete ending, which can make many viewers disappointed and bewildered" [2]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 11th Viet Film Fest[4] | Best Feature | The Immortal | Nominated |
| Best Sound | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Nguyen K'Linh | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Quach Ngoc Nguoan | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Thanh Tu | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Golden Kite Prize | Best Feature | The Immortal | Nominated |
| Best Director | Victor Vu | Nominated | ||
References
- "2019 Vietnam Film Festival concludes with highly anticipated awards ceremony". Tuổi Trẻ News. 29 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- "[REVIEW] The Immortal - Victor Vu's charismatic and thoughtful work". Lag.VN. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- "Immortal - 35mm.vn". 35mm.VN. 23 October 2018. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
- "Awards - VAALA Presents Viet Film Fest". VAALA Presents Viet Film Fest. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
External links
- The Immortal at IMDb