VietNamNet Bridge - According to Google's statistics, Vietnam was always in the top 10 countries, even ranked No. 1 sometimes, in searching for the keyword "sex" in the 2008-2012 period. Is that the reason for sex to become the “ultimate weapon” of Vietnamese movies to draw the audience?

 

 

A scene from "Adrift".

Sex scenes have become an indispensable part in Vietnamese movies in the past five years. They are so rampant in all genres of films, from drama to action, horror to comedy, etc, to such a degree that the local media has to comment “No sex scenes, that’s not a Vietnamese movie.”

The 2012 Golden Kite Awards is said the “champion” for the density of sex scenes in its entries compared to the nine previous awards. The sex scenes flooded trailers of all 11 movies, including Hot Sand, Passion, In the Name of Love, Cold Summer, Passion, Scandal, Blood Letter, Marry Me Soon, etc.

The level of sex scenes has increased, no more hiding in the twilight and no more explanation, it is free and quick now. Sex scenes also involve characters of all social classes, from a waste collector to a lady, from a farmer to a playboy, from an intellectual to a businessman, and even a swordsman.

Reviewing older movies like Adrift, Clash, Bi! Don’t Be Afraid, The Death’s Kiss, War of Brides, Living in Fear, Lost in Paradise, School Ghost, Between Two Worlds, Landmark 23, etc. sex scenes are also numerous.

Most recently, High School Trap, which was released in 2012, is criticized for the abuse of sex scenes, which are sad to be obscene.

Sex in movies; is it used effectively?

 

 

Vietnamese film producers are now keen on advertising their products through “revealing” trailers with sex scenes or information about actresses or actors who play sex scenes without body doubles.

Watching trailers, the audience may think these movies must be about sex and have a lot of sex scenes but the fact is totally different.

The question is when film producers stop advertising their products through sex contents because sex is not the factor that make the value of a movie. And Vietnamese audiences know it clearly. The evidence is that many movies that were advertised with sex scenes failed in term of revenues in Vietnam, such as Cold Summer, In the Name of Love, Bi, Don’t Be Afraid, Lonely, etc.

Most of sex scenes in Vietnamese movies are commented to be insipid or even obscene because they do not contribute to highlight the characters or the film contents and values. Thus, they are unnecessary.

Sex is no longer a taboo in Vietnamese movies. However, with the “development” of sex scenes like this, it is a problem for Vietnamese movies now. Moreover, the requirement of the audience for sex scenes in movies is more than curiosity. If anyone thinks that sex scenes are a way to increase commercial value, they definitely are wrong.

Lao Dong