Daydreamers turns vampire movies on its head, promising something different than the traditional Transylvanian tropes everyone is familiar with. Set in modern-day Vietnam, it tells the tale of two vampire brothers who deal with their curse in different ways, but at what cost?
We chatted to director Timothy Linh Bui to find out more about this film, the casting process, and its unique influences. The filmmaker also discussed the important message about Vietnam it sends to the world as well as the possibility of Daydreamers 2.
Dracula: The Prince of Darkness. Christopher Lee will always be my archetype of a vampire – the slicked-back hair, bloodshot eyes, and long fangs scared the hell out of me as a child. After that, I thought that’s what all vampires, or Dracula himself, were supposed to look like. But then The Lost Boys came along and really connected with me as a teenager growing up in Sunnyvale, California, just 40 minutes from Santa Cruz, where they shot the movie. Looking back on when I first started developing Daydreamers, I realize these two films definitely had a big influence on me.
As a non-vampire film, Miloš Forman’s Amadeus had a tremendous impact on me when I was 13 years old. Even though Amadeus is the focal point, it was Salieri’s resentment toward God and his rivalry with Amadeus that really stood out to me. I was drawn to Salieri because he lived in Amadeus’s shadow – his struggle to be seen felt relatable to me at the time. In a way, this film influenced the kinds of stories and characters I naturally gravitate toward in my own work.
Vampire stories are ubiquitous in Western culture, but they aren’t part of the cultural zeitgeist in Vietnam. So, I had to find a way into the story that Vietnamese audiences could relate to. The Portuguese first arrived in Vietnam as traders in the 1500s, followed by the French in the 1600s, who later colonized the country around the 1850s. I figured this would be a familiar entry point – that the first European traders who arrived also brought a dark curse with them. Since Vietnam has a long history of defeating invaders, it felt fitting that the invading vampires would ultimately be defeated too, but not before infecting many. To avoid repeating the cycle, a group of survivors chose to live in isolation, hoping that one day they could break the curse and rid themselves of the dark virus.
This idea was personal for me. I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school and attended confessions every Saturday in order to receive communion on Sundays. But eventually, I started questioning things and realized that so much of what I had confessed weren’t sins at all. After that, a whole new world opened up for me. I think Daydreamers touches on this theme through the story of the monk, a story designed to keep everyone in check. Does the monk story even exist? I’m not sure, but that’s where the conflict between Marco and Nhat comes from.
Beneath it all, Marco is a lonely creature. His mother, who urged him to resist the temptation of human blood, died trying to protect him, and now he lives with that guilt. But the truth is, he’s a vampire. He craves human blood, and he’s tired of hiding in the shadows, pretending to be something he is not. Marco loves his brother and believes Nhat has been deceived by their community. They can never be human again….That’s a fact. But the story of the monk is what keeps their faith alive. Marco wants Nhat to be free, like he is. The irony is that Nhat lives in isolation so that one day he finds freedom, while Marco lives freely because he has accepted who he is. The last scene with Marco and Nhat in the lake, where Marco washes the blood off Nhat’s hand, speaks volumes of their relationship.
Casting was long and difficult. We were venturing into uncharted territory in Vietnam, where no filmmaker had ever made a vampire film before. I instructed the casting director to leave no stone unturned. We saw everyone – from big stars to rock stars to fresh new talent. Once we narrowed it down to the top five candidates for each main role, I ran extensive mix-and-match sessions to find the right chemistry. They could be great actors individually, but if the chemistry was off, especially between the two brothers, it would be a hard sell.
Honestly, I’m not sure I would have made the film if I hadn’t found Thuan Nguyen, who plays Marco. The requirements for the role seemed nearly impossible given the small talent pool available. Marco probably went through at least three callbacks and several days of camera tests, where I paired him with every possible combination. But when he performed with Chi Pu, their chemistry was hot – even before we started the scene.
After Tran Ngoc Vang landed the part of the younger brother, Nhat, I sent the two of them to live together on a riverboat for a few days to build their bond. One day, I showed up unannounced and found them fishing, completely covered from head to toe like ninjas. I guess that’s exactly what a vampire would wear under the scorching sun.
I’ve been in Vietnam, so I haven’t had a chance to see Sinners yet, but I’ve heard wonderful things. As for Daydreamers, my hope is simple: I want to continue bringing Vietnamese cinema and stories beyond the borders of Vietnam. Growing up in America, I often felt ashamed of being Vietnamese. We were portrayed as “gooks” or nameless Viet Cong soldiers hiding in the jungle in films like Rambo and Missing in Action. So, when I finally had the opportunity to make films, it became important to me to shine a different light – to tell our stories through new lenses. We don’t have to be afraid or live in fear of who we are. We can embrace it.
Without getting too political, the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War is on April 30th. In Vietnam, there will be a military parade, jet flyovers, cannons, and fireworks. In the U.S., it’s a quiet remembrance at the Vietnam Memorial, and in the diaspora communities, it’s reflecting back to when we became refugees. Somewhere in between, I find myself as the bridge between two worlds.
The ending actually came out of necessity, just a couple of weeks before we wrapped the shoot, because I had run out of money to execute the original scripted ending. By halfway through filming, we had already faced so many issues, mostly due to bad weather, which forced us to add more shooting days and pushed us over budget. Then the production had to shut down for a week after a stunt went wrong. It was a horrible, horrible accident, and our lead actor, Tran Ngoc Vang, ended up in the hospital. Honestly, I thought it was over, and production would have to shut down for good. Fortunately, he made a full recovery.
When Vang was finally ready to return to set, I had to figure out a way to end the film using the existing location we already had access to. It had to be physically doable for Vang, while keeping it open-ended.
I would love to see the story continue. In a way, I always envisioned this as the birth of a new kind of protector – the beginning of a new kind of hero.
Daydreamers is now in theaters in the United States.
We chatted to director Timothy Linh Bui to find out more about this film, the casting process, and its unique influences. The filmmaker also discussed the important message about Vietnam it sends to the world as well as the possibility of Daydreamers 2.
Which vampire and non-vampire movies inspired Daydreamers, and how did they influence the story?
Dracula: The Prince of Darkness. Christopher Lee will always be my archetype of a vampire – the slicked-back hair, bloodshot eyes, and long fangs scared the hell out of me as a child. After that, I thought that’s what all vampires, or Dracula himself, were supposed to look like. But then The Lost Boys came along and really connected with me as a teenager growing up in Sunnyvale, California, just 40 minutes from Santa Cruz, where they shot the movie. Looking back on when I first started developing Daydreamers, I realize these two films definitely had a big influence on me.
As a non-vampire film, Miloš Forman’s Amadeus had a tremendous impact on me when I was 13 years old. Even though Amadeus is the focal point, it was Salieri’s resentment toward God and his rivalry with Amadeus that really stood out to me. I was drawn to Salieri because he lived in Amadeus’s shadow – his struggle to be seen felt relatable to me at the time. In a way, this film influenced the kinds of stories and characters I naturally gravitate toward in my own work.
In terms of the lore behind the vampires avoiding extinction and fleeing to Vietnam, where some make the decision to abstain from drinking blood in an attempt to regain their humanity, where did this idea come from?
Vampire stories are ubiquitous in Western culture, but they aren’t part of the cultural zeitgeist in Vietnam. So, I had to find a way into the story that Vietnamese audiences could relate to. The Portuguese first arrived in Vietnam as traders in the 1500s, followed by the French in the 1600s, who later colonized the country around the 1850s. I figured this would be a familiar entry point – that the first European traders who arrived also brought a dark curse with them. Since Vietnam has a long history of defeating invaders, it felt fitting that the invading vampires would ultimately be defeated too, but not before infecting many. To avoid repeating the cycle, a group of survivors chose to live in isolation, hoping that one day they could break the curse and rid themselves of the dark virus.
This idea was personal for me. I was raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school and attended confessions every Saturday in order to receive communion on Sundays. But eventually, I started questioning things and realized that so much of what I had confessed weren’t sins at all. After that, a whole new world opened up for me. I think Daydreamers touches on this theme through the story of the monk, a story designed to keep everyone in check. Does the monk story even exist? I’m not sure, but that’s where the conflict between Marco and Nhat comes from.
I’m interested in finding out more about the dynamic between Marco and Nhat. I saw Marco as a representation of temptation – a different and flashy world for Nhat to experience away from the riverboat community – but he still does appear to harbor genuine feelings of care for his brother. How do you define their relationship?
Beneath it all, Marco is a lonely creature. His mother, who urged him to resist the temptation of human blood, died trying to protect him, and now he lives with that guilt. But the truth is, he’s a vampire. He craves human blood, and he’s tired of hiding in the shadows, pretending to be something he is not. Marco loves his brother and believes Nhat has been deceived by their community. They can never be human again….That’s a fact. But the story of the monk is what keeps their faith alive. Marco wants Nhat to be free, like he is. The irony is that Nhat lives in isolation so that one day he finds freedom, while Marco lives freely because he has accepted who he is. The last scene with Marco and Nhat in the lake, where Marco washes the blood off Nhat’s hand, speaks volumes of their relationship.
The Daydreamers cast possess incredible chemistry together. What did you specifically look for when casting?
Casting was long and difficult. We were venturing into uncharted territory in Vietnam, where no filmmaker had ever made a vampire film before. I instructed the casting director to leave no stone unturned. We saw everyone – from big stars to rock stars to fresh new talent. Once we narrowed it down to the top five candidates for each main role, I ran extensive mix-and-match sessions to find the right chemistry. They could be great actors individually, but if the chemistry was off, especially between the two brothers, it would be a hard sell.
Honestly, I’m not sure I would have made the film if I hadn’t found Thuan Nguyen, who plays Marco. The requirements for the role seemed nearly impossible given the small talent pool available. Marco probably went through at least three callbacks and several days of camera tests, where I paired him with every possible combination. But when he performed with Chi Pu, their chemistry was hot – even before we started the scene.
After Tran Ngoc Vang landed the part of the younger brother, Nhat, I sent the two of them to live together on a riverboat for a few days to build their bond. One day, I showed up unannounced and found them fishing, completely covered from head to toe like ninjas. I guess that’s exactly what a vampire would wear under the scorching sun.
Having watched Sinners and Daydreamers, I must say I’m happy to see that there are filmmakers moving away from the traditional vampire movies and using the concept of vampires to tell their own unique stories that deal with other topics and places. As a filmmaker, what message do you hope a viewer gets after watching the film?
I’ve been in Vietnam, so I haven’t had a chance to see Sinners yet, but I’ve heard wonderful things. As for Daydreamers, my hope is simple: I want to continue bringing Vietnamese cinema and stories beyond the borders of Vietnam. Growing up in America, I often felt ashamed of being Vietnamese. We were portrayed as “gooks” or nameless Viet Cong soldiers hiding in the jungle in films like Rambo and Missing in Action. So, when I finally had the opportunity to make films, it became important to me to shine a different light – to tell our stories through new lenses. We don’t have to be afraid or live in fear of who we are. We can embrace it.
Without getting too political, the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War is on April 30th. In Vietnam, there will be a military parade, jet flyovers, cannons, and fireworks. In the U.S., it’s a quiet remembrance at the Vietnam Memorial, and in the diaspora communities, it’s reflecting back to when we became refugees. Somewhere in between, I find myself as the bridge between two worlds.
Daydreamers ends on a note that leaves the story open for more. What is the possibility of a sequel here?
The ending actually came out of necessity, just a couple of weeks before we wrapped the shoot, because I had run out of money to execute the original scripted ending. By halfway through filming, we had already faced so many issues, mostly due to bad weather, which forced us to add more shooting days and pushed us over budget. Then the production had to shut down for a week after a stunt went wrong. It was a horrible, horrible accident, and our lead actor, Tran Ngoc Vang, ended up in the hospital. Honestly, I thought it was over, and production would have to shut down for good. Fortunately, he made a full recovery.
When Vang was finally ready to return to set, I had to figure out a way to end the film using the existing location we already had access to. It had to be physically doable for Vang, while keeping it open-ended.
I would love to see the story continue. In a way, I always envisioned this as the birth of a new kind of protector – the beginning of a new kind of hero.
Daydreamers is now in theaters in the United States.