Ancestral houses in Vietnam hold significant cultural, spiritual, and historical value. These houses are often seen as a symbol of family unity, heritage, and continuity, reflecting the deep respect Vietnamese people have for their ancestors and traditions. Khuong Ngoc uses the concept as the base of his latest film, “The Real Sister”, an essentially all-female casted movie which grossed over over $1.3M within its first 4 days of general release in Vietnam.
The Real Sister is distributed by Skyline
The rural ancestral home that is the center of the story is taken care of only by women, starting with Nhi, the wife of the man who owns the house, Mai, and his four sisters. Considering that Nhi is married to the eldest sibling of the family, she is technically considered the oldest sister in the house. Nhu is the youngest one, and she is married to a good-for-nothing swindler, Kiem, who has left her and his kid facing his debtors. Ky is the second older sister, a surgeon who owns a plastic surgery hospital. Thu is the fourth sister, who runs an accounting service. Lastly, Anh is the third sister and the one who takes care of the house on a daily basis.
As the film begins, Nhu is asking money from the rest once more, while Nhi wants to renovate the crumbling ancestral house before the storm season. Tensions come to a boiling point when the whole family gets back in the premises, hidden grievances between Nhị and her sisters-in-law surface, unveiling long-buried secrets and emotional scars.
Although the inevitable slapstick comedy is found in the beginning of the film once more, as soon as the story moves into the house, which happens quite quickly actually, the movie soon turns into a genuine family drama, with the last aspect actually increasing as the story progresses. What becomes evident quite early on is that, apart from problematic spouses, the women also have personal issues of their own, with Nhu not being the exception. In that fashion, that Khuong Ngoc manages to portray and analyze the whole five of them in the 95 minutes of the movie, emerges as one of the biggest traits of the movie.
Check the interview with the director
Nhi is the ‘leader’ essentially but her ‘reign’ does not go undisputed, particularly from Ky, while the former also has her reasons for wishing to expedite the renovation of the house. Her relationship with her niece, Ky’s daughter, is another point of friction, with the elder sister also having her own set of problems, mostly revolving around the bottle. The way all sisters look down on Nhu is another point of tension, which becomes even worse when her husband’s deeds are fully revealed, while Anh is essentially treated as a kind of a maid.
As time passes and the weather deteriorates, that the women find themselves having to stay in the house leads to an inevitable and rather intense clash, with both the buildup and the actual release being rather well handled. The comments that derive are also spot on, even if a ‘girl power’ element does exist as most men are portrayed as problematic to say the least, in the very brief moments the appear on screen. In that fashion, both the benefits and the issues extended family present are highlighted quite thoroughly, including the question of who has the upper hand, inheritances, and the inequalities that always form in such a big ‘company’ as the one in focus here. Lastly, a comment about the issues the country faces with crime can also be found here, cementing the context of the film.
That the ending is somewhat romantic is not exactly fully realistic, but Khuong Ngoc adds an element of drama that keeps this approach grounded, with the finale working quite well in the end (pun intended)
Viet Huong in the role of Nhi is at the center of the movie and delivers excellently as the seemingly unbroken boss of the family. Her interactions with Hong Dao‘s Ky are among the most memorable moments in the film, with the chemistry of the two being impressive. Ngoc Trinh in the role of Nhu plays the younger and most problematic one with gusto, with her impressive appearance also making her stand out. In general, though, the whole of the cast perform quite well, in one of the movie’s biggest traits.
Nguyen Ngoc Cuong’s cinematography makes the most of the rundown house, which is essentially one of the protagonists of the movie, although the presentation of all the different settings is equally accomplished. The intense coloring, with the pastel colors dominating is quite pleasant to the eye, adding to the entertainment the movie offers. The same applies to Nguyen Vinh Thang’s editing, which results in a very fitting fast pace, although the truth is that the ending could have been a bit tighter.
“The Real Sister” is not high art, but is definitely well-directed, acted and casted, while has enough substance to satisfy fans that want their mainstream movies a bit more layered.
