Cine7 – Memories of Vietnamese Cinema introduces audiences of all generations to once-renowned works of Vietnamese cinema . “A war film without the sound of gunfire”, “a poetic film”... those are the comments from viewers when asked about their impressions of “A Fairy Tale for Seventeen”, directed by Meritorious Artist Xuan Son. Released in 1985, the film brought new life to Vietnamese cinema with its emotionally charged storytelling, avoiding intense conflicts and drama. It intertwined reality and fantasy to depict the dreamlike love story of a young girl set against the backdrop of wartime, filled with pain and sacrifice.
The story begins with An, a dreamy 17-year-old girl with many admirers . The film is set in Hanoi, where passing convoys of soldiers entrust their letters to locals to send back to their families. One day, An finds a letter written by a soldier named Thai. While buying a stamp to mail it, she meets a woman who has just returned from seeing the soldiers. Coincidentally, the letter An picked up belongs to the woman’s son, Thai. From that moment on, An forms a bond with Mrs. Thu. Having lost her mother at a young age, An is encouraged by Mrs. Thu to write to Thai. This sparks a romance between the high school girl and the soldier. But when peace finally comes, the miracle does not happen. Thai never returns.
“A Fairy Tale for Seventeen” was the debut screenplay of Trinh Thanh Nha and director Xuan Son. It won the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2017. At the 8th Vietnam Film Festival, the film received the Golden Lotus Award for Best Feature Film, along with awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Music.
Trinh Thanh Nha almost gives up her career due to a “strict” editor
Trinh Thanh Nha is one of the few successful female screenwriters in both film and television. Forty years ago, she entered the world of cinema with her debut script, “A Fairy Tale for Seventeen”, based on her own story. It won the Best Screenplay Award at the 1988 Vietnam Film Festival. However, bringing the story to the screen was far from “a fairy tale”.
The script was her graduation project from the University of Theatre and Cinema. It received high marks and was introduced to the Vietnam Feature Film Studio. However, when she presented it to the studio, editor Le Phuong demanded numerous revisions. Each time, he insisted that she read the script out loud herself. Six rounds of revisions brought six rounds of tears. By the sixth time, she was ready to tear up the manuscript and quit. But finally, Le Phuong said just one word: “Approved”.
Looking back after 40 years, Trinh Thanh Nha feels “lucky” to have met such a meticulous editor. She realized that reading the script aloud allowed her to hear whether the language and imagery flowed naturally.
“A Fairy Tale for Seventeen” originally has the title “A Fairy Tale for Sixteen”.
When asked “why the film is titled A Fairy Tale for Seventeen and not another age?”, Trinh Thanh Nha revealed that the original title was “A Fairy Tale for Sixteen”. However, editor Le Phuong suggested changing it because the sound of “sixteen” felt flat. He believed “seventeen” had a better rhythm and represented growth. The phrase seventeen breaks buffalo horns marks a transition to maturity. For Trinh Thanh Nha, the love story was like a fairy tale; she realized she had feelings for Thai only after he was gone. That mystical, tragic quality inspired the final title.
One changed poem, “A Fairy Tale for Seventeen”, shifts the entire tone of the film.
After going through six rounds of revisions with editor Le Phuong, one might think that everything would finally go smoothly. However, the journey of bringing “The Fairy Tale for Seventeen” to the screen did not end there. Screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha met directly with director Xuan Son to discuss the script. She shared that the film stayed about 80% true to the original version she had written. However, it was just one small detail that ultimately changed the entire narrative.
In a literature class scene, An appears distracted until her teacher (played by People's Artist Hoang Cuc) asks her to analyze her favorite poem about soldiers during the anti-American resistance.
Trinh Thanh Nha had originally chosen the poem “Spring Song of '61”, but director Xuan Son felt it was too exuberant for the film's somber tone. After much discussion, they replaced it with “The Red Farewell”, which steered the film in a more emotionally nuanced direction.
Excerpt from the film “The Fairy Tale for Seventeen”
People’s Artist Thanh Tu initially intends to decline the role of Mother Thu in “The Fairy Tale for Seventeen” due to the overwhelming shadow cast by her previous iconic role in the film “The August Stars.
Besides the main character, the young girl An (played by actress Le Vi), the role of Mother Thu (played by People’s Artist Thanh Tu) appears throughout the entire film. However, few know that she initially considered turning down the role, as she was still deeply associated in the public’s mind with her powerful performance as Ms. Nhu in “The August Stars”. That role left a lasting impression on audiences and earned numerous prestigious awards.
One day, while walking with writer Le Phuong along Co Ngu Street in Hanoi, he suggested, “Why don’t you take a role this time?”. Thanh Tu responded, “I won’t take just any role”, as she was planning to study directing and leave acting behind. Le Phuong replied, “This is the main role for an adult”. She accepted the role and grew to love it.
From that point on, she began exploring how to portray the emotional depth of the character Mother Thu. She chose to use a style of acting known as “anti-action” or “restrained performance”. In the scene where Mother Thu receives news of her son's death, ,for example, she simply places her hand on his backpack. At that moment, she could have easily burst into tears. However, she chose to “hold back” instead. Although the actress did not cry, her restraint moved the audience to tears. That, she believed, was the true mark of success.
“Cine7 – Memories of Vietnamese Cinema”, featuring a conversation with People's Artist Thanh Tu and screenwriter Trinh Thanh Nha about the film “A Fairy Tale for Seventeen”, aired at 9:10 PM on Saturday, June 7, 2025, on VTV3.
