About to hit theaters, the rosy world of “Barbie” is turned a little darker by an unexpected “political crisis” with a quirky map of the world. the director Greta Gerwig, in full promotion work, came out on Monday with the news that Vietnam had banned the release of the film in cinemas, scheduled for July 21 (a day after Portugal). authorities detected a map in a brief scene that allegedly represents a contentious zone in the South China Sea, territory rich in oil and gas reserves that is the target of territorial disputes between several countries in the region.”The National Council for Film Evaluation and Classification attended the film and took the decision to ban its exhibition in Vietnam due to the violation of the ‘nine dashes line'”, said Vi Kien Thanh, director of the country’s Film Department to the Dan Tri news portal, referring to the line that represents China’s maritime claims in the area, rejected by Vietnam. The film’s story shows the iconic doll making the leap to the real world after questioning her too-perfect reality in the magical world of ‘Barbie Land’. A character hands her a “world map” to help her on her journey of discovery.
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In a statement to Variety magazine, studio Warner Bros. He defended himself: “The map in ‘Barbie Land’ is a child’s crayon drawing. The scribbles depict Barbie’s fictional journey from Barbie Land to the ‘real world’. It was not intended to make any kind of statement” It is not the first time that the dispute in the South China Sea has led to a ban on films in Vietnam, a communist country that uses censorship.In 2022, the film “Uncharted”, starring Tom Holland, was banned from cinemas by the same reason. In the 2018 blockbuster romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” a scene showing a designer handbag with a map attributing disputed islands in the South China Sea to Beijing was removed in Vietnam.TRAILER “BARBIE”.