Director Lan Hongchun's family saga Dear You feels like a good old-fashioned novel as it tracks a man who has disappeared in Thailand. With a story ranging from the 1940s to the present, mostly set in Bangkok and revolving around Teochew-speaking Chinese from Guangdong, this generations-spanning drama is sentimental in places but balanced by salty, bawdy humour, period colour, and impressively naturalistic performances from a mostly non-professional cast. This combination made it an unexpectedly large box-office hit in the People's Republic last month.
Plot Overview
In the 21st century in Shantou, China, octogenarian Shurou (Iap Sok-jiu) celebrates her 87th birthday surrounded by adoring family and neighbours who revere her for raising three children alone in the 1940s and 50s. Her shifty grandson Xiaowei (Hiau-ui), in debt, travels to Bangkok to find Shurou's husband Zheng Musheng, who is reputed to have made a fortune, endowed schools across Thailand, and had a second family after abandoning Shurou.
The Nested Narrative
Xiaowei's research uncovers a nested narrative going back 70 years. Musheng's alleged second wife is actually Xie Nanzhi (Li Sitong), the innkeeper's daughter in Bangkok's Chinatown who rented him a room. Their business relationship grows when Musheng starts an illegal school teaching Mandarin to local children. Literacy is a key theme, as Musheng kept in touch with Shurou through qiaopi remittance letters containing money for his family.
Performance and Direction
Despite a sappy instrumental score, director Lan Hongchun moves the story at a brisk pace with entertaining side characters and comedy. The film offers a palpable sense of place. Dear You is in UK and Irish cinemas from 26 June.
