European Festival Premiere | In Competition
China, 2024, 121’, Mandarin
Directed by: Xu Zheng
Screenplay: Zhong Lele Studio, He Keke, Xu Zheng
Online Novel: Qing Ming
Cinematography (color): Zeng Jian
Editing: Xiao Yang, Tu Yiran, Li Tianming
Art Direction: Lu Wei
Costumes: Wang Mingming
Styling: Tang Ning
Music: Peng Fei
Sound: Shi Xiang, Yang Jiang,Zhao Nan
Car Stunts: Du Zihao
Visual Effects: Shi Ye
Executive Direction: Xi Jialin
Producer: Zhang Qiang
Production Company: Maxtimes (Hubei)
Cast: Xu Zheng (Gao Zhilei), Xin Zhilei (Xiao Ni, Gao Zhilei’s wife), Wang Xiao (Lao Kou/Stingy), Jia Bing (Zhu, delivery station manager), Feng Bing (Da Hei/Big Black), Ding Yongdai (Gao Zhilei’s father), Ding Jiali (Gao Zhilei’s mother), Chen Halin (Jiajia, Gao Zhilei’s daughter), Wu Jiakai (Yang Dashan, deliverer), Liu Meihan (Qiu Xiaomin, female deliverer)
Date of First Release in Territory: August 9th, 2024
The backbreaking work of delivery workers is the central theme of the latest offering from Xu Zheng, a fantastically popular actor in China, mostly known for his comedic skills, but who, in the past few years, has beaten a path for himself in the fields of writing and starring in social dramas. In 2018, in
Dying to Survive, based on a true story, he took on the role of an anti-hero who dealt in black market pharmaceuticals which could not be bought in China.
Upstream, adapted from a novel published online, is another film that openly sides with society’s most vulnerable. However, it sparked an intense media debate even before its theatrical release, accused by some of turning the difficult life of delivery workers into a fairy tale, exploiting the story of this disadvantaged community for financial gains, or failing to portray it authentically, as Xu Zheng is rich and privileged. Despite the controversy, the film was a success with both critics and the public, picking up numerous awards.
The story is set in Shanghai, Xu Zheng’s hometown, which in the film becomes a labyrinth that strikes both awe and fear into the hearts of individuals who seem to become invisible, crushed by the overpowering crowd. In all the world’s big cities, the image of these couriers rushing from one place to another on scooters and electric bikes is now part of the urban landscape, but in Shanghai, a metropolis of 25 million inhabitants that buys practically everything online – from cappuccino to household appliances – and expects home delivery at lightning speed, their presence is even more conspicuous. The news often deals with this phenomenon, as the statistics are staggering: every 2.5 days, on average, a delivery worker is the victim of a traffic accident, often fatal.
Upstream is the story of Gao Zhilei, a 45-year-old computer engineer and graduate of the prestigious Tongji University, who suddenly finds himself unemployed and, as a victim of age discrimination, is unable to find a source of income beside becoming a delivery worker, a job wholly based on the gig economy: earnings depend on the number of deliveries made, the speed the riders can move from one point to another in the city, the tips received, and customer reviews. In a sprawling city like Shanghai, work becomes an obstacle course for those who have to move around quickly and are not familiar with shortcuts.
Added to this is the internal dynamic of the team: the various riders hail from differing backgrounds and places. Some were farmers or shepherds in remote regions, others were barbers, extras, bouncers or leaflet distributors. These men and women compete with each other for the monthly efficiency prize. Gao Zhilei feels like a fish out of water in this community and is plagued by bad luck: not only has he lost his job, but he also risks losing the house he bought for his family if he fails to keep up his mortgage repayments, and he faces exorbitant hospital bills when his father has a stroke. It is only when he accepts the situation he finds himself in, without being consumed by resentment and falling prey to victimhood that Gao Zhilei manages to change the course of his life…
Although dramatic, the story is spiced up with deep sentiment and humour, and the cast give convincing performances, with the beautiful cinematography capturing the daily life of the couriers, always on the move, as if driven by an inner fire that consumes them, and an equally compelling soundtrack.
In a country going through an economic crisis in which the unemployment rate is steadily rising,
Upstream seems to send a message of encouragement not only to those on the margins of society, but also to all those who may soon be forced to give up their privileges and join the ranks of the proletariat.
Xu Zheng
Xu Zheng (Shanghai, 1972) is one of China’s most revered celebrities. After working in TV and theatre, he starred in Crazy Stone by Ning Hao in 2006, which helped crown him – along with Huang Bo – as one of Chinese cinema’s most bankable character actors. He has starred in hugely successful comedies – Call for Love, Silver Medalist, Lost on Journey, One Night in Supermarket (FEFF 2010), Love in the Buff (FEFF 2012), The Great Hypnotist, B for Busy and many more – as well as dramas like Dying to Survive (2018). Lost in Thailand (FEFF 2013) was Xu Zheng’s first feature film as a director, screenwriter and producer. Alongside his actress wife Tao Hong, Xu Zheng set up the production company Joy Leader.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY
2012 – Lost in Thailand
2015 – Lost in Hong Kong
2020 – Lost in Russia
2024 – Upstream