Those of us living in China might
have been spared the tumultuous drama that our US counterparts have
experienced in 2017, but like always, the Middle Kingdom has had its own
fair share of attention-grabbing headlines. From the boom of shared bikes to a presidential visit from The Donald,
our team has put together a list of 2017’s most unforgettable viral
stories, recounting major events that defined the worlds of sports,
tech, arts, fashion and food. Here’s to another year of eclectic, weird
and wonderful life in China, we wouldn’t have it any other way.
For more, follow our full 2017 Year in Review coverage.
From box office bombs (Once Upon a Time) to record-breaking blockbusters (Wolf Warrior 2), it’s been an eventful year for domestic films in China. Here, we round up some of the best films of 2017.
Duckweed 乘风破浪
(Han Han)
The third feature-length film by writer and new media icon Han Han is
his best so far, pairing a moving, family-oriented story with a
Back-to-the-Future-esque plot device. Racecar driver Lang (Deng Chao)
has a strained relationship with his father, but after getting into an
accident that jolts him back in time to 1998, he meets and befriends a
younger version of the man (Eddie Peng), and gains respect for him as he
learns the context behind his tumultuous life as a small-town gangster.
The film holds a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been
praised for its authentic depiction of rural China in the 90s.
Legend of the Demon Cat 妖猫传
(Chen Kaige)
The acclaimed director of Farewell My Concubine went back behind the
lens for this lush and fantastical mystery film. Set during the Tang
Dynasty and based on a novel by author Yumemakura Baku, it tells the
story of a Chinese poet and Japanese monk who team up to investigate the
mysterious death of a famous concubine. Chen spent five years and
millions of RMB building an entire city with real rivers, palaces and
caves for the film, and rumor has it that the set will be converted into
a theme park and opened to the public.
Our Time Will Come 明月几时有
(Ann Hui)
Widely hailed as one of
the best Chinese films of the year, Our Time Will Come provides a fresh
perspective on the oft-told story of the Japanese WWII occupation of
China by focusing on female characters like protagonist Fang Lan (Zhou
Xun), a real-life schoolteacher-turned-resistance fighter. Fang became
active in the Hong Kong underground resistance after her boyfriend
decided to work with the Japanese, and director Ann Hui brings her story
to the big screen with intrigue and plenty of thrilling suspense
scenes. The film also stars Eddie Peng as a resistance leader/Fang’s
love interest and Deanie Ip as her mother.
Youth
芳华
(Feng Xiaogang)
The latest film by celebrated filmmaker Feng Xiaogang (I Am Not Madam
Bovary) is a coming-of-age tale about adolescent performers in a
provincial military cultural troupe in the 1970s. Based on a work by
Shanghainese novelist Yan Geling, the story centers on He Xiaoping (Miao
Miao), an idealistic dancer from Beijing who is hiding a dark family
history. Youth has been called a “sweeping marvel” by the Toronto Film
Festival and was praised for its elegant cinematography and moving
story. The film spent the fall screening at film festivals from Toronto
to Pingyao, and opened in domestic theaters after several delays in
December.
Angels Wear White 嘉年华
(Vivian Qu)
In a seaside motel in
Xiamen, a receptionist (played by rising star 15-year-old actress Vicky
Chen) witnesses a prominent local official checking into a room with two
preteen girls. What follows is an unflinching portrayal of the aftermath
of sexual assault, from victim-blaming to politically motivated
cover-ups. Beautifully shot and tackling an extremely timely subject
matter, the film saw limited release in China earlier this year and
screened at several film festivals, winning both best film and best
actress (for Vicky Chen) at Turkey’s Antalya Film Festival in October.
Paths of the Soul 冈仁波齐
(Zhang Yang)
This indie docu-drama road movie from Beijing director Zhang Yang
follows 11 religious pilgrims as they walk for seven months from their
hometown to Lhasa, stopping to kowtow every few steps. Acclaimed for
both its poignant story and striking cinematography, the film provides a
fictionalized account of the pilgrimage, chronicling a birth, death,
budding romance and more on the road. Though released in 2015, Paths of
the Soul spent over a year showing at film festivals worldwide and
featuring in a MoMA exhibit in New York before finally securing a
domestic release date in China this past June.
Dahufa 大护法
(Bu Sifan)
A highlight of the year in Chinese animation, Dahufa is a surreal and
exceptionally dark film about a prince who attempts to free a dystopian
village called ‘Peanuttown’ from its oppressive overlords. Ripe with
social commentary (so much so that many critics expressed surprise that
the film received approval for release in China), Dahufa made headlines
when its producer announced a self-imposed rating of PG-13 due to
scenes of shocking violence – the government in Peanuttown routinely
executes its citizens to quell dissent. Dahufa was largely crowd-funded
and its tagline wryly proclaims: “Thanks for the adversity that
everyone brought me.”
The Thousand Faces of Dunjia 奇門遁甲
(Yuen Wo Ping with Tsui Hark)
Directed
by acclaimed action choreographer Yuen Wo Ping (who choreographed
The Matrix Trilogy, Kill Bill and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and
with a screenplay by famed Hong Kong auteur Tsui Hark, this bombastic
fantasy film aims to revitalize the wuxia genre with cutting-edge
special effects and a healthy dose of the supernatural. Based on Qimen
Dunjia, an ancient Chinese practice of divination and astrology, the
film centers on a ragtag group of martial artists who must save the
world from a mystical evil force. Also, there may or may not be group
sex with demons.
The Foreigner 英伦对决
(Martin Campbell)
This buzzed-out Chinese-UK co-production
showcases the acting chops of Jackie Chan in one of his first-ever
dramatic roles. Chan stars as a Vietnamese immigrant in London who hunts
down a group of Irish terrorists after their attack kills his daughter.
The 10th highest grossing film of the year in China, The Foreigner also
stars Pierce Brosnan and Katie Leung, who Harry Potter fans will
recognize as Cho Chang. The movie’s detractors gripe that the plot is
formulaic and a bit too similar to Liam Neeson’s Taken, but Chan’s
riveting performance as a grieving father quietly hellbent on revenge
has been acclaimed.
This Is Not What I Expected 喜欢你
(Xu Hongyu)
Though domestically-produced romantic comedies can be overly saccharine,
this stylish romance about a quirky chef and the brooding billionaire
that falls in love with her via her cooking is nothing short of
charming. The You’ve Got Mail-esque story sees a hotel tycoon (played by
Takashi Kanenshiro) have several ill-fated encounters on the street with
a brazen and high-spirited woman (Zhou Dongyu) before realizing her
true identity. While Zhou plays the slapstick up bit too far at moments
and some of the plot points veer into unrealistic territory, This is Not
What I Expected shines as one of the best Chinese rom-coms of the year.
For more 2017 Year in Review coverage, click here.
0 User Comments