Considering the rise of the concept of fandom, which seems to have found its apogee in Asian pop, movies about the artists that truly stand out in the particular setting have seen the light of day in increasing numbers lately. Within this environment, Hoang Thuy Linh, whose ‘See Tinh’ became a huge international success, surpassing 1.3 billion views and inspiring millions of dance covers on TikTok, was bound to have a movie made about her eventually. Surprisingly, the artist is also credited as co-director, marking a rather unconventional approach to the film.
Hoang Thuy Linh: Vietnamese Concert Film is distributed by Skyline
The narrative, however, proceeds in ideal fashion. After a brief introduction of who Hoang Thuy Linh is and the success of the aforementioned hit, the story settles on presenting the discussions and the rehearsals for the upcoming concerts the artist performs and organizes, followed by actual footage of the live performancers.
In that fashion, interviews with project managers, art directors, editors, VFX specialists, and Linh herself shed much light on the complexities of organizing concerts and tours of this scale. The comments about wishing to create something with an international appeal which is also grounded in Vietnamese tradition emerge as quite intriguing, with the way the plans, and occasionally the arguments are implemented in the concerts being quite rewarding to watch.
This last aspect, the occasional ‘fighting,’ provides a welcome relief in a film that, to some extent, is promotional, grounding it more in reality. Beyond that, the inclusion of social media posts about Linh and her work, along with interviews featuring notable Vietnamese artists (Thanh Bui, Den Vau, and Wren Evans) adds variety to the documentary, making it more engaging. In that regard, Chido Pham’s editing emerges as one of the best aspects of the film, with the way the various elements are connected being ideal, additionally because the rhythm is as fast as it is entertaining.
Where the film truly thrives, however, is in the depiction of the extravaganza that are Linh’s live performances. The SFX, dynamic choreography, child performers, audience reactions, grand venues, and Linh herself all blend into an impressive spectacle that sustains the film’s momentum from start to finish. Dinh Ha Uyen Thu‘s cinematography reaches its peak in these scenes, which can only be described as an audiovisual extravaganza.
Granted, the film is promotional to some extent, and an appreciation for this particular musical style is almost essential for viewers. On the other hand, the presentation of the concerts, what goes on behind them and the portrait of Hoang Thuy Linh are enough to deem the movie watchable for any viewer, while fans of both the music and the artist will definitely have a blast here.
