Special Correspondent Han Lin
The drama "The Sympathizer" (pictured stills), co-directed by the famous Korean director Park Chan-wook and starring "Iron Man" Robert Downey Jr., was recently launched. This American drama, with the Vietnam War as the background and Asian protagonists as the protagonists, has received praise from the American media, but it has also triggered controversy about the historical perspective and narrative focus.
"The Sympathizer" is adapted from the novel of the same name by the Vietnamese-American writer Nguyen Thanh Viet. It tells the story of a French-Vietnamese agent's struggle in the last days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles. The highlight of the play is not only the Pulitzer Prize-winning original novel and the background of the Vietnam War, but also the luxurious main creative lineup: the director and producer are Park Chan-wook, a well-known Korean director who is world-famous for "Oldboy", and the creator of "Oldboy". City of God " and "The Immortal Gardener" Brazilian director Fernando Merrills, as well as the director of the hit series "Black Sails" Mark Mulden. The cast includes Robert Downey Jr., who just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for "Oppenheimer", and Asian actress Sandra Oh, famous for "Grey's Anatomy" and "Killing Eve".
Asian themes have become popular in Hollywood in recent years, and lineups like "The Sympathizer" have attracted much attention from the early stages of preparation. After the show was launched, it received 87% freshness and 78% popcorn index on the Rotten Tomatoes film review website. It also received a score of 78 from mainstream media on Metacritic. Among them, "Collider" gave it a very high rating: ""The Sympathizer" "Dare to challenge the audience with complex stories, just like the brave spirit of those HBO original works at the beginning of this century, it will definitely become a classic." "TV Guide" believes that Downey and Sandra Oh performed well in the play, but they are the most unsatisfactory. What is missing is the actor who plays the male protagonist, Vietnamese actor Hou Xuande. "Radio Times" compared the play with the classic Vietnam War themes "Apocalypse Now" and "Platoon" as "a true study of details and emotions, and an in-depth study of the protagonist's inner world." "Los Angeles Times" believes that the play "Although it focuses on the rich and powerful at the time, Park Chan-wook also evokes memories of the civilian neighborhoods and daily life at that time, which is not common in many big productions." For the majority of movie fans, the biggest attraction of "The Sympathizer" is Park Chan-wook's directorial style - unique Korean violence and suspense, well-designed transition scenes, and the ubiquitous "cinema Easter eggs" not long ago I also experienced it in "Determination to Break Up", and this 7-episode series is considered "enjoyable".
However, the Washington Post also pointed out that "as the plot develops, the most subtle gray tones in the show gradually fade away, and the last few episodes are not as good as the first three episodes directed by Park Chan-wook." CNN believed that the show "stuck in a quagmire of narrative", and "The New Yorker" criticized that "although it is often poignant and intoxicating, the main line is too scattered and cannot establish the true inner feelings of the characters."
Generally speaking, the mainstream media in the United States have affirmed Park Chan-wook's directing ability. The "Roger Ebert" website even believed that the first three episodes he directed alone were enough to be nominated for the Emmy Award. However, the lack of narrative follow-up is also the biggest problem of the show. question. At the same time, "Hollywood Reporter" and CNN also emphasized its irony in terms of historical values, political stances and the role of Americans in this war, especially the four roles played by Downey in the play. "Representing the ugly American." "The Ringer" website analyzed: "Whether they are CIA agents, university professors, conservative politicians or eccentric movie directors, the white Americans played by Downey all jointly construct a satire of the US imperialist power system. The performance is also full of iconic conceits.”
In fact, the ubiquitous American perspective is also a controversial aspect of the original novel. The original author, Nguyen Thanh Viet, immigrated to the United States as early as 4 years old. He is now a professor at the University of California. His reference materials are mainly American works, such as "The Fall of Saigon" and "Apocalypse Now". Although the original work contains many anti-war stances and satire on American politics, it is still considered a vilification by Vietnamese officials. The novel is prohibited from being published locally, and the series cannot be filmed in Vietnam.Nguyen Thanh Viet explained in an interview with Korean media that he was "actually portraying Americans and Vietnamese in a complicated way." ▲
