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Ahead of its release on July 21, 2023, Greta Gerwig's Barbie has entangled itself in a China-Vietnam controversy for allegedly depicting a map with the "nine-dash line," a representation of China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea. Though this seems far from something that could happen with such a light-hearted film, Vietnamese authorities did not take kindly to the depiction.
Like the rest of the world, Barbie was set to premiere in Vietnam on July 21, 2023, alongside Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which happens to contain a more sensitive subject for Asians. Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, revealed that the National Film Evaluation Council had decided on the ban.
Though it is an uncommon knowledge, Barbie is not the first film to be banned by the Vietnamese government over this issue. Previously, DreamWorks' animated film Abominable was also pulled from the theatre for the same reason. Moreover, Sony's Uncharted and Netflix's Australian spy drama Pine Gap were also banned from the country for this controversial depiction.
As it is now, Barbie will release around the rest of the globe on its slated premiere date.
What is the nine-dash line, and how did it land Barbie n trouble?
One of the things that has not been very clear yet is how exactly Barbie managed to depict the controversial nine-dash line in its toy-filled world. However, this line has been a sensitive issue with the Vietnamese for quite some time.
The use of the nine-dash line on Chinese maps is a sign of China's attempts at extending claims over vast areas of the South China Sea. These overlapping sea territories have been a sensitive zone for years between China and Vietnam. Despite China's attempts at asserting its dominance over these vast sea regions, Vietnam, along with the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, and Taiwan, have actively resisted it.
This was also an issue raised with the United Nations previously. In 2016, the UN ruled against the validity of the nine-dash line. Despite this, China has refused to abide by the decision, leading to a constant war between China and its South Asian neighbors.
Vietnam's state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper wrote about the decision to ban the Greta Gerwig film in its column, writing:
"We do not grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line."
Apart from the ban on the theatrical run of the film, no other bans were announced. However, given the sensitivity of the issue and how the Vietnamese government has reacted to the same earlier, the Greta Gerwig directorial may face a digital and streaming ban in the country as well.
Barbie is written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, which is based on the Mattel toy line of the same name. This is the first live-action adaptation of the doll universe after numerous animated films over the past two decades. As such, Barbie has been in talks for a long time.
The film stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Emma McKay, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Will Ferell, Ana Cruz Kayne, Scott Evans, and Ncuti Gatwa, among many others.
