Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Andrew Doan Thanh Phong
Hanoi (Agenzia Fides) - The first film of "Dating on the Day of Eclipse" about Catholicism has recently been widely beloved in Vietnam, a country where the Catholic population is very modest, accounting for just over 7%, and where prejudices and misunderstandings about Catholicism still persist in the society.
Director John The Baptized Le Thien Vien skillfully portrays religious activities at a church located in a paddy rice countryside through beautiful and pure cinematography in the parish of Tra May, Central Vietnam, where the lead actress Thien An and her mother, Mrs Ha, a notable actress of Vietnamese cinema named Le Khanh, live in a devout Catholic family, they both regularly attend daily Masses and prayers as well as actively participating other Catholic associasons in the parish.
The film tells the story of a pure love in 1995 between Thien An and a non-Catholic man being opposed by her mother who fears that her only daughter will not uphold the Catholic faith while living with a non-Catholic husband even though he promises to study the catechism for being baptised. Besides, she also has a plan for her daughter to marry a devout young man from a respectable Catholic family with a stable job and that is, in her opinion, to ensure the happiness in marriage for her loved daughter, but unfortunately Thien An has fallen in love with that non-Catholic man. Facing dificulties torn by her inner conflict, ultimately she makes a decision of devoting her life to God and becomes a nun. Such a lovely story reflects very truthfully the thoughts of devout Catholic families in the society of Vietnam when their children are reaching to the age of marriage.
This film has made the director John Baptist Le Vien Thien poure all his heart and soul into producing, as he himself stated: "As a Catholic man, I really wanted to do something to proclaim the Gospel to those who don't know God. There are two reasons that I made this film: firstly, I wanted to tell a story that had been nurturing in my mind for a long time. Secondly, I wanted to help people understand more about the Catholic faith." He added: “When telling a story about the Catholic nuns in Vietnam, in particular about romantic love, I had to do a lot of researches. Initially, I was so much worried, but when I met the sisters, there were almost no boundaries or barriers like I had imagined”.
The line in the film "Is he Catholic?": spoken by Mrs. Hoa, the mother of Thien An when asking to the boyfriend of her daughter, has been becoming a “hot trend” on the social network these days. This also made Father John the Baptised Phan Dinh Toai remembered of his mother when he said to the actress: "You acted very deeply in the image of a Vietnamese Catholic mother who wants to protect her child's faith and that reminded me of what my mother said when I had a girlfriend before entering the Catholic Monastery."
To play the role of the devout Catholic mother, Le Khanh, the non - Catholic actress had to go to the church regularly for attending daily Mass as well as joining other activities in the Catholic community for a month, and she shared: "Every time I went into church to listen to the priest's sermon, the character I was going to play gradually emerged. I felt like I wasn't acting in a movie, but living in the spirit of a Catholic women."
This film story is considered rare in the cinema of Vietnam, even it does not totally mention Catholicism, but it incorporates truly Catholic ethics and spirituality which makes the audience exciting and relatable. Therefore, it marks a significant turning point in Vietnamese cinema, and opens up a space for religious stories to be told in a gentle, profound way without feeling offensive.
According to the latest figures, the film's total revenue has reached approximately 89 billion VND (equivalent to 3,423,076 USD) after only 3 weeks of public release, maintaining its number one position in the Vietnamese film market despite competition from many foreign films showing at the same time.
The non-Catholics have gained a more positive view of Catholics and their faith by watching this film and through it they realize that God is not a distant concept for Catholics, but a living presence in every moment of daily life. Furthermore, this highly acclaimed film can present a very true story toward non-Catholics that Catholicism does not detach people from life, but helps them live more deeply; it does not take people away from freedom, but illuminates and drives the freedom into the right way; it does not extinguish love, but purifies it so that love becomes perfect. And perhaps, this quiet yet sincere way of "introducing" this film to Vietnamese audience is the most convincing testimony to the beauty of the Catholic faith in the heart of today's world. (Agenzia Fides, 13/4/2026)
