At just his second film behind the cameras, Xu Zheng has already become a cult director. If not with film critics, who give him a lukewarm reception, but certainly with the public and, more generally speaking, with the film industry. With total takings of $251 million, a whopping 30 on the day of release,
has been dubbed the “best marketing performer” of the year, thanks to its astute advertising campaign which began six months prior to release, with TED talks-style press conferences and the fact that it was released in the strategic period of the Mid-Autumn festival and the national holiday in October.
, the film is a sort of road-movie in which the protagonists are going through mid-life crises. The prologue of the story is a lesson in modern art taking place in a Chinese university in the 1990s. The first frame shows a Van Gogh painting in all its bright colours and chaotic forms, almost a taste of the passion and chaos that will ensue.
There is electricity between two students taking part in the lecture – the beautiful Yang Yi and the passionate Xu Lai with his long flowing hair. It does not lead to anything, though, as repeated attempts to kiss each other are thwarted by adverse situations.
Life takes its course, Yang Yi disappears and Xu Lai ends up marrying Bo Cai (Spinach), his fallback, the girl who ruthlessly pursued him at university but who he never even glanced at. Twenty years later, Xu Lai has gone bald and now works as a graphic artist for an underwear company instead of as an artist, his wife is obsessed by the idea of having a child, and he remains frustrated by the fact that he never managed to kiss Yang Yi.
But Hong Kong is about to host a retrospective of Yang Yi’s work; she has gone on to become an artist of note. Invited by his old flame to the inauguration of the show, Xu decides that this will be the perfect occasion to finally get that longed-for kiss. So as not to give the game away, he decides to take Bo Cai and her family – including her brother Cai Lala, a ditsy youngster convinced he will become a great documentary director – on a short holiday to Hong Kong.
Obviously, it all goes wrong from the very start, and what should have been a pleasant break for all and a dream come true for the frustrated artist, ends up being a nightmare… Xu is dragged into a series of incredible adventures in Hong Kong, with Lala, who has decided to base his first documentary on his brother-in-law, hot on his heels!
The film is packed with cultural reference points which are very familiar to the Chinese public: the atmosphere in China in the 90s is evoked through the soundtrack made up of hits from that decade, while well-known films are constantly referenced – including a scene from Hitchcock’s Rear Window as well as numerous movies from Hong Kong, including the cameo by the director Wang Jing who is shooting a film within the film!
Action movies are emulated with a breathtaking closing scene set on a skyscraper under construction. But basically, the film hinges on the irresistible trademark comedy of facial expressions and the gestures of Xu Zheng, injecting humour even into the existential drama of his search for his identity.
The moral of the story is, as usual, how contemporary society is afflicted by the Peter Pan syndrome, how individuals cling to illusions and refuse to face reality, something that is becoming increasingly problematic in China. But in the end, the protagonists of this film are forced to assume their responsibilities and finally grow up…
Xu Zheng
Xu Zheng (Shanghai, 1972). He graduated from the Shanghai Theatre Academy in 1994, and is one of China’s most popular actors. After having worked in the theatre and television, a role in the Ning Hao film Crazy Stone (2006) launched his career – alongside Huang Bo – as one of the major stars of Chinese cinema. His acting career has seen success after success, with starring roles in some of the biggest comedy hits, like Call for Love, Silver Medalist, Lost on Journey, One Night in Supermarket (FEFF 2010), Love in the Buff (FEFF 2012), The Great Hypnotist. Lost in Thailand (FEFF 2013) was Xu Zheng’s first time in the actor-director role; he also wrote and produced the film, the same roles he covers for Lost in Hong Kong. Along with his wife, the actress Ta Hong, Xu Zheng recently founded the production company Joy Leader.