European Premiere | In Competition | White Mulberry Award Candidate | Online
Vietnam, 2024, 112’,Vietnamese
Directed by: Nguyen Nhat Trung
Screenplay: Vo Nguyen Dan
Cinematography (color): Y Zell Bya
Editing: Duy Joseph
Production Design: Le Dinh Hoa
Lighting: Binh Kho
Music: Khuat Duy Minh
Producers: Le Thuan, Nim Nguyen
Cast: Tuan Tran (Lanh), Diep Bao Ngoc (Na), Hoai Linh (Mr. Dao), Le Giang (Ms. Sau)
Date of First Release in Territory: August 30th, 2024
One would never imagine a ghost comedy to be described as realistic, but Betting with Ghost brilliantly finds the perfect balance that keeps the film grounded and relatable amidst all the supernatural events.
Lanh (Tuan Tran) is a young man falling into debt after too many losses in cockfighting and is being chased by his creditors. While escaping through a cemetery, he comes across the gravesite of Le Thi Na (Diep Bao Ngoc) and plunges inside. Little did he know this would bind Na’s restless soul to him, but unlike ghosts that are simply out to haunt humans, Na has a different agenda. She suggests to Lanh that they make a deal. Desperately wanting to find out what happened to her baby daughter, Na offers to help Lanh win money if he would track her child down in exchange. It sounds like a good deal for Lanh, but there’s a catch. Due to the laws of the dead, winning money would have a detrimental effect on his loved one.
The narrative is driven by two key motives: Lanh must earn money, and Na is “dying” to find her long-lost daughter. This strange arrangement between the living and the dead sets the tone for countless jokes, and it’s hard not to root for the two seemingly innocent characters. But the story is peppered with twists that break predictions, like an invitation to question the characters’ actions. Skillfully enough, whenever such a situation happens and doubts begin, the film finds a way to justify itself and, furthermore, move us in unexpected ways. This is largely thanks to the superb acting by Tuan Tran, who embodies the young and reckless Lanh in body and soul, and creates a man you can’t help but love.
Subplots also bear the perfect amount of weight in the story to enhance the depth of the characters without overstepping onto the main story. The beautiful father-son relationship between Lanh and Mr. Dao can toss emotions all over the spectrum – from joy to frustration to heartwrenching – while Ms. Sau (Le Giang) plays a crucial role in resolving what could’ve been several narrative blocks.
What is different about the film is the way it executes the supernatural. There are no fancy frills or CGI to impress, nor the Jaws soundtrack to build tension. The mixing of horror and comedy welcomes audience groups of every kind and feels like a break from most ghost films from Southeast Asia that rely heavily on gore and thrills. This seems to be a way to satisfy the taste of the local audience, as in recent years, family and relationship-based dramas have performed incredibly well at the box office, as seen with megahits Mai (2024) and The House of No Man (2023), also starring Tuan Tran and Le Giang respectively. The strategy undoubtedly worked with Betting with Ghost as it received positive local reaction, and with its international theatrical releases and festival screenings, it proves the story speaks to the global audience too.
Nguyen Nhat Trung
Nguyen Nhat Trung, born in 1972 (stage name Nhat Trung or Trung Lun), is a Vietnamese director, actor, and host. The films he has directed include: TV series U
navoidable Enemies,
Family Is Number 1,
Potato Star,
In-Laws or Outlaws; and the feature film
Betting with Ghost.
FILMOGRAPHY
2024 – Betting with Ghost