The brief

iSEE's I do - Tôi đồng ý campaign asks for same-sex marriage to be recognised in Vietnam. The law doesn't ban same-sex couples from living together, but it doesn't recognise their marriage either. Families with two mothers or two fathers live with that gap every day: only one parent counts on paper. iSEE wanted a film that makes the public feel what that means, and asks them to sign the campaign.

What made it hard

A legal gap is an abstract thing to film, and campaign films about rights can easily turn into lectures. The film had to stay warm, avoid making either mother a victim, and still land the point hard enough that people would act.

The decision that made it work

We told it through Na, a 10-year-old girl with two mothers, Hà and Mai. At home her family is complete. The film opens on threes: three pairs of shoes, three toothbrushes, three helmets on a shelf, three people at the dinner table.

Outside, the family shrinks. Na has to call Mẹ Mai "auntie" in public. On a school form she crosses out "father's name" and writes in "mother". Only Mẹ Hà can sign her permission slips. At the school concert, the seat next to Mẹ Hà stays empty. Every morning, Mẹ Hà takes two helmets off the shelf and one stays behind.

Then Na falls ill while only Mẹ Mai is home. At the hospital the doctor needs a parent to sign for an emergency operation, and Mẹ Mai has to say she is only the girl's aunt. Na, in the hospital bed: "But you're my mum."

We built the look around that split. At home: warm light, a locked-off camera, long lenses and full frames. Outside: cooler, desaturated colour, a light handheld camera, wide lenses and characters pushed to the edge of the frame. Through the whole film Na is building a jigsaw puzzle. In the last shot the final piece goes in: a drawing of a girl holding hands with her two mothers.

The result

The film was part of a large social campaign, and iSEE told us it was a big success. On the campaign's Facebook page alone it has been watched more than 365,000 times, with 8,400 reactions and nearly 800 shares. It ends with the campaign's call to sign and a QR code to the petition. We delivered the full film and a 1:40 cut for social.

Who this kind of film is for

Advocacy and rights organisations that need a campaign film people will act on: one family, one ordinary day, and the moment the law gets in the way.