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Chinese Films to Watch in 2022
James Mudge
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Chinese Films to Watch in 2022

Nice View  (Miracle)

奇迹

Nice View (Miracle)

Writer director Wen Muye made a huge splash with his 2018 debut feature Dying to Survive, a comedy drama inspired by the real life story of a man who smuggled cancer medicines from India for people unable to afford treatment in China. As well as being a massive box office hit, the film won a slew of awards, and was said to have helped to bring about reform in the Chinese healthcare system. Expectations are sky high for his second feature, Nice View, which sees Wen again working with acclaimed producer Ning Hao, and which is another socially-minded story, following a young man chasing a better life who turns to desperate measures to try and pay for his sister’s surgery. The film reunites Wen with the always popular Xu Zheng (star and director of the hit films Lost in Thailand and Lost in Hong Kong), and is headlined by one of China’s hottest young stars in Jackson Yee, who recently impressed in the critically-acclaimed blockbuster Better Days, and whose presence helps ensure that Nice View is set to be one of the biggest and most talked about releases of Chinese New Year 2022.

 

The Four Seas (Only Fool Rush In)

四海

The Four Seas (Only Fools Rush In)

Another key Chinese New Year release is The Four Seas from writer director Han Han, a famously-outspoken and colourful filmmaker whose career has also seen him enjoy success as a novelist, blogger, singer and race car driver. Following on from his previous Chinese New Year hits Duckweed and Pegasus, his latest film again seems to draw from his own experiences, telling the story of a stunt bike driver who reunites with his estranged father and goes on a road trip, and features Detective Chinatown star Haoran Liu, along with Han Han regulars Shen Teng and Yin Zheng. While the subject matter might be familiar, Han Han is a talented director with an impressive track record, and is known for his skilful mixing of small town character drama, genre thrills and dark comedy in a way which makes his films far more substantial than the average Chinese commercial production. The Four Seas is likely to continue his successful run, and looks to be equal parts moving and funny, with plenty of high speed racing excitement thrown in.

 

Anonymous (Nameless)

无名

Anonymous (Nameless)

Although patriotic Chinese epics don’t always strike a chord with international audiences, Anonymous has an ace up its sleeve in legendary leading man Tony Leung Chiu-wai. The charismatic, multiple award-winning Hong Kong actor, known for his roles in the likes of In the Mood for Love and Infernal Affairs, has never been more popular thanks to his recent appearance in the Marvel blockbuster Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and his presence always guarantees the level of quality which should make the film one to look out for. Written and directed by Er Cheng (Lethal Hostage), the film sees Leung joined by Wang Yibo and Zhou Xun and is a World War II spy thriller set during the Chinese War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, focusing on China’s underground intelligence network and its role in defending the country. Early footage has showcased the film’s gorgeous black and white cinematography and noir atmosphere, with Leung sporting a suave look that recalls his Wong Kar-wai roles, something which will likely prove worth the price of admission on its own.

 

Sharpshooter (Sniper)

狙击手

Sharpshooter (Sniper)

Given the mega-success of films like The Eight Hundred and The Battle at Lake Changjin at the Chinese box office, it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to see that 2022 is shaping up as another big year for action-packed military epics. As well as a Lake Changjin sequel, the most anticipated of these is Sharpshooter, the latest film from Chinese industry powerhouse Zhang Yimou, who’s had a very productive few years, with the likes of Shadow, One Second and Cliff Walkers doing well, and with crime drama Under the Light also slated for release this year. The film sees Zhang co-directing with his daughter Zhang Mo, who’s worked with her father several times in the past, and is another Korean War thriller, this time telling the real life story of a young sniper famed for the number of American soldiers he brought down on the snowy battlefield. Zhang is one of China’s all-time great filmmakers, not to mention one of the best at massive spectacle, and the prospect of him directing a large scale war production is an enticing one indeed.

 

Where the Wind Blows (Theory of Ambitions)

風再起時

Where the Wind Blows (Theory of Ambitions) 

The past few years haven’t been a great time for Hong Kong cinema, with Philip Yung’s gritty 2015 crime thriller Port of Call being one of the few real bright spots, playing festivals and winning awards around the world. His eagerly awaited follow-up Where the Wind Blows (which previously went by Theory of Ambitions), was originally supposed to be released in late 2018, and then again in 2021, being beset by a variety of well-publicised issues, but finally looks set to hit cinemas in 2022. The film boasts a knockout cast, starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Aaron Kwok as police officers during the 1960s dealing with and being seduced by corruption, and promises to be a hard-hitting crime epic looking back at a fascinating period in the city’s history. Port of Call showed Yung to be a master of orchestrating slow-burn tension and complex plotting, and his latest film should offer audiences a reminder of why Hong Kong was so well-known for dark, provocative genre cinema.

 

Walking in the Sea of ​​Wrath (Across the Furious Sea)

涉过愤怒的海

Walking in the Sea of ​​Wrath (Across the Furious Sea)

Although Cao Baoping isn’t as well-known in the west as other Chinese filmmakers, he’s arguably one of the country’s best, and has a reputation for well-crafted, often darkly comic thrillers, with the likes of The Dead End and Cock and Bull having enjoyed both critical and commercial success. His latest film Walking in the Sea of Wrath is due out later this year, and sees him working again with internationally acclaimed actress Zhou Xun, who headlined his award-winning The Equation of Love and Death back in 2008, as well as top comedy star Huang Bo, here showing his range in a darker and more dramatic role. Adapted from a popular novel, the film is a gritty revenge tale and mystery revolving around a father trying to solve the murder of his daughter while facing up to his own shortcomings.  With Cao at the helm, viewers can expect a challenging, multi-layered narrative and plenty of soul searching, and another great example of cutting-edge modern Chinese genre cinema.

 

The Festival Director of Chinese Visual Festival and organiser of Focus Hong Kong, James Mudge has been bringing Chinese language films to the UK for over ten years, and runs The Next Day, a production company working between the east and west.

 

James MudgeChina Minutes

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