Dear You, considered now as a Chinese sleeper hit, was first screened in May this year. This small-budget Chinese diaspora drama, with a cast of non-professional actors, became a commercial blockbuster earning $293 million in box-office sales to become China’s No.1 film.
An ode to strong and powerful matriarchs; a showcase of sincere platonic bonds, loyalty, duty and family; and a vibrant reflection of unique local traditions presented in a deeply moving kind of cinema — these are just some of the praises received by Lang Hongchun’s Dear You which is set to have its Manila premiere this August.
William Lim Jr., president of Anvil Business Club and member of the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII), said: “This movie is very relevant to us because it tells us that story in a very cinematic and poignant way. Instead of stories being passed down to us, we are able to see it visually.”
Lim added: “Dear You tells a moving and inspiring story of the overseas Chinese experience between Thailand and Southern China. It has a touching story that centers on a family and that their sacrifices, resilience and hope are highlighted. I believe that its message will resonate deeply with Filipinos.”
Presented by the Anvil Business Club in partnership with the FFCCCII, Dear You, considered now as a Chinese sleeper hit, was first screened in May this year. This small-budget Chinese diaspora drama, with a cast of non-professional actors, became a commercial blockbuster earning $293 million in box office sales to become China’s No.1 film.
Set in the 1940s, the story follows a Chinese family who sought better opportunities in Thailand. The protagonist is the grandson who uncovers hundreds of remittance letters, or qiaopi, which contained historical documents consisting of handwritten family letters combined with money remittances sent by overseas Chinese workers to their relatives back home in provinces like Guangdong and Fujian during the 19th and 20th centuries.
Director Hongchun is also one of the film’s writers together with Zeng Xuanxuan, Yang Leng and Zu Liyun.
The cast includes Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zeng Rungki and Usha Seamkhum.
Close to home
“Filipino viewers may find the movie inspiring,” Lim said. “It is a given and a fact that we, Chinese and Filipinos, put not just emphasis but premium on the value of family and honoring for elders, something that is not often seen in Hollywood films. It’s very close to home. It is honest and truly relatable.”
Uniqueness
What makes Dear You a unique cinematic experience is because it is a cultural time capsule as the Teochew language and its Shantou and Chaoyang regional accents are used as the dialogues and heard in the movie.
The casting of non-professional residents with no acting experience adds emotional truth to the characters in the film. Its narrative that focuses on the sacrifices of matriarchs, the importance of platonic bonds of women who sustain and nurture families through thick and thin, come hell and high water, is presented in a one-of-a-kind depiction.
The Dear You advanced screenings are slated on 5 August, 7 p.m. at the SM Mall of Asia IMAX and 8 August, 6:30 p.m. at SM North EDSA Cinema 3 and will hit Philippine cinemas on 12 August.
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