Bump in the Road

by Felix Hamer

From parody to action to art house, Jessica Kam is a film producer who enjoys a dash of variety. Her Just Another Pandora’s Box poked fun at contemporary movies like Kung Fu Panda and House of Flying Daggers to rake in RMB130 million, while quirky comedy The Piano in a Factory made the rounds of international film festivals, snagging awards as it went.

Her latest project bears similarities to box office sensation Lost in Thailand, centering on an oddball pairing and a cross-country road trip. Bump in the Road tells the story of a womanizing obstetrician who, out of the blue, receives an email from a female telling him he’s the father of her child. Though at first he ignores it, he begins experiencing erectile dysfunction, and so decides to track down the mystery lady in order to regain his mojo. To complicate matters, his mother insists that he bring his brother – an adult with the IQ of a 7-year-old – along for the ride.

Taking its cue from the Oscar-winning Rain Man and acclaimed Belgian flick The Eighth Day, the script was a year in the writing, though it only took four months to film. “If you ask me whether I’m completely satisfied with the script, I’ll say ‘There’s always room for improvement,’” remarks Kam, “but the story is very strong and there’s a very powerful ending.”

The creators made the decision early on not to use a person with an actual development disorder, as in The Eighth Day, for fear of discouraging audiences. “You put someone who is mentally retarded on Chinese screens and that might not be such an easy sell,” Kam says bluntly.

An accomplished businesswoman, Hong Kong-born, American-educated Kam previously developed shows at MTV and later helped repackage the Shaw Brothers’ martial arts classics after the studio was bought by Celestial Pictures. Having now worked for five years in the Chinese film industry, she’s accustomed to working within the PRC, particularly with regards to censorship: “It’s limiting but you have to live with it. In [Bump in the Road] we came up against absolutely no resistance whatsoever. We knew what we were doing and this movie was all above reproach – except perhaps for the sexual part.”

Despite a hefty dose of raunchiness, it passed inspection scot-free. “We sat through the various stages of screening and not a single bit was edited,” recalls Kam. “[Everyone says] that censorship is tight, but it’s not as bad as Westerners think.”

Aimed firmly at commercial rather than critical success, Kam is hoping the movie’s yuks attract big audiences over Golden Week, even if that doesn’t translate into exposure overseas. Her focus, as she says, is strictly the Chinese market, with plans in the future to use her experience to help Hollywood companies crack the Middle Kingdom market.

// Bump in the Road is scheduled to appear in cinemas on Sept 29.