Wooden Fish: Storming the box office, the lackluster short film revives thanks to the hit song "Miracle"

Wooden Fish – a short art film from a student project unexpectedly topped the box office, but left audiences confused because of its shallow script and emotionless acting. The viral music phenomenon far exceeded the quality of the film.

The short film Dan Ca Go, the graduation work of young director Nguyen Pham Thanh Dat, made a big splash when it won the 2024 Golden Kite Award for Best Short Film. However, when it was released in July 2025, the film quickly became the center of controversy. Some praised it as a symbol of Vietnamese independent cinema, but many viewers were disappointed by its disjointed script, immature acting, and misleading marketing strategy.

Wooden Fish is a short film less than 30 minutes long, telling the story of a young man named Cuong, who has a love for music but is forced by family pressure and the shadow of his late father to return to the seafaring profession. Standing at the crossroads of continuing to make a living or pursuing his passion, Cuong is forced to make a choice.

Although the content is not too new, the crew chose a poetic and cinematic way of expressing it. The film was filmed in 13 days in the sea of Nghe An, with natural light, neutral colors and a long-distance camera angle creating the loneliness and anxiety of the character in the midst of vast nature. The symbol of "school of wooden fish" - small boats connected to each other in the sea is also considered a metaphor for human destiny, dreams and constraints.

Thanks to its sophisticated and cinematic presentation, Dan Ca Go was highly appreciated by experts and deserved the Golden Kite Award. Many people consider this a small milestone worth noting in the development of short films and independent films in Vietnam. After winning the grand prize, the film was released in limited release at some theaters in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, with cheap tickets priced at only 39,000 VND. Surprisingly, on the first day of its release, Dan Ca Go surpassed Hollywood blockbusters like Superman to lead the domestic box office. In the first three days, the film earned nearly 3 billion VND, a significant amount for a short, non-commercial film.

This initial success mainly came from the media effect surrounding the MV "Phap Miracle", the song performed by actor Nguyen Quoc Hung (as Cuong). With nearly 40 million views on YouTube, the MV created a strong wave of interest in the story behind the song, helping the film attract a large number of curious audiences to the theater. However, after the initial wave of curiosity, a series of mixed responses appeared. On social networks and film forums, many viewers expressed disappointment, saying that the film did not deserve the praise.

One of the main complaints is the disjointed script, lacking climax. With a duration of less than 30 minutes, the film has not built a full emotional line. Many people commented that they did not have time to understand what was going on before the film ended, or that the film was more like a long music video than a complete story. In addition, the acting and dialogue were also controversial points. Young, inexperienced actors made some emotional scenes feel forced, and the dialogue unnatural. Some dialogue was even considered "cliché", making it difficult for viewers to empathize.

In addition to the content, the film's marketing strategy was also criticized. A post from a cinema fan page claimed that the male lead "filmed underwater for 4 hours straight without using special effects", but soon after, netizens pointed out signs that the scene could have used VFX. They said that the underwater lighting was too uniform, the fish appeared unnatural – difficult to film realistically.

Under pressure from public opinion, the fanpage had to remove or edit the information. Many people believe that the crew had promoted false information, causing misunderstandings about the production process, thereby reducing sympathy for a film that was considered natural and rustic. In the face of controversy, director Thanh Dat shared: the goal of him and his crew is not revenue but to spread emotions and bring the film closer to the audience. He admitted that the film may not be perfect, but he wants to be recognized as an artistic effort of young people.

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