Our Paul Gratton takes a look at the new WellGo USA release DEAR YOU, now in limited release in the US and Canada.
About: A debt-ridden grandson travels to Thailand to find the grandfather he believes abandoned their family, hoping the man behind years of qiaopi letters and remittances can help pay his debts. Instead, he uncovers a lifelong act of love and sacrifice. Inspired by overseas Chinese traditions, DEAR YOU has become a breakout success, touching global audiences with its story of family and devotion. Directed by Lan Hongchun.
Reaction: Dear You was a massive hit in China, generating close to $240M at the box office. This achievement is all the more remarkable considering the dialogue is in the Teochew language, a regional dialect that required Chinese subtitles when released in China. It speaks to the universal appeal of this sentimental tale about an expatriate forced to go to Thailand to earn a living for his family. The true nature of his story is unearthed when a borderline bankrupt young man seizes on the desperate idea of tracing his legendary grandpa, who, according to family lore, had become a millionaire after abandoning his family, starting up with a new wife and moving to Thailand. He soon learns that money had been sent back to support his family over many years, but that Grandpa had died in 1960, long before the money kept arriving. The film is sentimental and melodramatic in ways that Asian audiences clearly respond to, but the story of ex-pats who leave their countries of birth in order to be able to send money back home is a universal one, that many immigrants eking out a living in Canada should be able to relate to. It is not subtle in the way that it tries to play on your emotions, and the tinkly piano music sounds soap opera-like at times, but there’s no denying that this ode to emigrating wage-earners is a sincere attempt to salute the sacrifices of those forced to move to richer climes. So this is a rare Chinese film that may equally appeal to people from a variety of countries, anybody who is working here to send money home. The film was supposed to have been released in Canada last June by CMC who had even paid to have prints reviewed by provincial ratings boards. (Alberta gave it a 14A and a language warning). But the film was pulled and is now hitting the North American market through WellGo USA.
Rating: 6 out of 10
