“Tunnels: Sun in the Dark” joins a long line of films, such as “Little Girl from Hanoi”(1974) and “Journey from the Fall” (2006), that revisit one of the most notorious military conflicts of the twentieth century. In his fifth feature, Bui Thac Chuyen approaches the Vietnam War by focusing on the tunnels of Cu Chi, an underground network of tunnels that once extended beneath the whole country. Surrounded by landmines, they served not only as hiding places during battles but also as vital routes for communication and supply. They housed hospitals, food and weapons, and served as a living quarters, playing a crucial role in the Viet Cong’s resistance against American and Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces.
Set in 1967 near Ho Chi Minh City (also known as Saigon), the story follows a village connected by a maze of tunnels where Bay Theo (Thai Hoa) leads a guerrilla unit. Their mission is to protect a secret intelligence team from an impending American attack. With limited supplies and weapons, the fighters rely heavily on cooperation, creativity, and discipline.
The film opens with eerie music accompanying images of a bleak landscape: a limping dog, scattered corpses, and a woman with a gun walking slowly along a river. This way the viewer is put straight into a developed conflict. However, instead of glorifying war or its fighters, Chuyen opts for a restrained approach, portraying survival in the tunnels. The movie avoids turning suffering into spectacle, focusing instead on endurance and the fleeting moments of human connection found in the darkness.
Shot in the actual Cu Chi tunnels, K’Linh Nguyen’s cinematography effectively conveys a claustrophobic sense of confinement. The dim lighting and bleak colour palette reinforce the oppressive atmosphere, immersing the viewer in the physical and psychological constraints of life underground. This aura is supported by a gloomy and suspenseful soundtrack composed by Clovis Schneider, rather typical for war films. The performances across the cast are solid as well, with a particularly strong turn by Thai Hoa, who convincingly embodies a caring and responsible leader willing to sacrifice himself for his unit.
In his war epic released 50 years after the end of the conflict, Chuyen blends the scale of a blockbuster with a more intimate, grounded approach, occasionally allowing moments of humour while avoiding caricatured portrayals of the American forces. Rather than focusing on large-scale combat or the broader political context of the war, the narrative emphasizes the importance of the tunnel system and the harsh realities of everyday life in the underground. The result is a competent and well-executed film – solid rather than ground-breaking – that offers a measured and humane perspective on the subject.
