Dear You (film)

Development

The film was the third Teochew-language project directed by Lan Hongchun, following Proud of Me [zh] and Back to Love [zh].^[4] Lan chose to feature different accents of Teochew, spoken in Shantou and Chaoyang.^[5] According to Lan, since his first two films centered on the father and mother respectively, it was a natural progression to focus on the grandmother for this third installment.^[6] The inspiration for the film stemmed from the real-life experiences of overseas Chinese that Lan encountered while filming the documentary Teochew (四海潮味), which explored the Teochew cuisine around the world. Most of the details and plot points in the movie were rooted in true stories.^[7]

Lan Hongchun and his collaborator Yang Leng initially completed the screenplay for Dear You. To improve readability, they enlisted Zhu Liyun to adapt it into a novel. When they took the novel to seek investment, Zheng Xuanxuan immediately took a liking to the story. Lan Hongchun, Zheng Xuanxuan, Yang Leng and Zhu Liyun then formed a screenwriting team to refine the script further.^[8] To facilitate a quicker and more accurate understanding of the film's background, Zheng Xuanxuan and her team meticulously crafted a comprehensive guidebook to Siam, spanning tens of thousands of words. This guidebook delved into every facet of 20th-century Thailand, encompassing aspects such as daily life, culture and customs.^[9]

Casting

The cast of this film comprises mostly non-professional actors. According to Lan, the production team implemented the MBTI personality assessment as a reference during casting and conducted interviews with over 1,000 individuals.^[10][11] Li Sitong, a Financial Engineering graduate from Guangdong University of Finance and Economics who portrays Xie Nanzhi,^[12] was discovered on a short-video platform. Following this breakthrough role, she became a breakout star in China and intends to further pursue her career in acting.^[10][13] Wang Yantong, who plays Zheng Musheng, graduated from Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai [zh] with a degree in the Art of Announcing and Anchoring. Wang Xiaohui, who stars as the young Ye Shuruo, is an illustrator and designer at a toy company; she has stated that she has no plans to enter the entertainment industry for the time being.^[12] Thai actress Usha Seamkhum, recognized for her role in How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024), was cast as the elderly Xie Nanzhi. Despite having no formal acting training and speaking neither Mandarin nor Teochew, she relied on body language to convey her character's emotions.^[12][14]

Filming

The film was officially filed and registered by Shenzhen Lichun Pictures in December 2023 and commenced principal photography in October 2024,^{[‡ 5][15]} with extensive on-site filming taking place across various locations including Shantou, Chaozhou and Jieyang.^[16] To authentically capture the ambiance of old Siam, the production team recreated the setting of Bangkok's Chinatown in Jieyang, drawing inspiration from Zheng Xuanxuan's guidebook. Due to budget constraints, the team was unable to construct a full-scale set and had to rely on existing historic buildings to recreate the scene as faithfully as possible.^[9]

Some parts of the film were also shot on locations in Bangkok, and members of the Tio Chew Association of Thailand were invited to make cameo appearances in the scene set at the association.^[17]

Music

Ths film's original score and soundtrack were released on April 29, 2026, through Lichun Pictures.^{[‡ 6][‡ 7]} Wu Zehua composed the score for the film. The soundtrack was produced by local band Toy Captain frontman Li Yihan and screenwriter Yang Leng. Li wrote several folk songs with the Nanyang theme; Beijing-born singer Chen Jia [zh] performed the film's theme song, "Brewing Tea Under the Moon" (月下煮茶).^[18]

Singapore release controversy

On June 18,^[33] Dear You was released commercially in Mandarin in Singapore, in line with the Speak Mandarin Campaign since its launch in 1979; films featuring non-Mandarin varieties of Chinese were only allowed on a case-by-case basis.^[34] The campaign targeted "Chinese dialects",^[35] a term rejected by some linguists due to a lack of mutual intelligibility, according to Tan Dawn Wei of The Straits Times,^[36] instead, they are just "variants" of a language.^[37] It restricted "dialects" such as Hokkien and Cantonese, in media like film, television, and radio,^[38] but not for the Internet and arts performances,^[39] in order to aid Chinese Singaporeans' use of Mandarin,^[35] despite no linguistic evidence that knowledge of non-Mandarin varieties will affect Mandarin learning adversely more than knowledge of any language in particular.^[40] The Mandarin release of the film reignited debate about Singapore's language policies^[41] and the "cultural trade-offs" that were made, arguing about whether Mandarin and non-Mandarin varieties can co-exist.^[36]

The film was released in a time when many interested viewers did not understand and speak Teochew fluently.^[36] They held interest in listening and learning non-Mandarin varieties as it allowed them to reconnect with something "largely lost"^[36] and drew parallels with their forefathers' migration to Singapore.^[41] It was met with disappointment from the local Teochew community in Singapore, as it would result in the loss of cultural nuance and quicken the decline of Teochew in Singapore.^[38] Tan Ying Ying, a linguist from Nanyang Technological University, described it as a response of grief and fear of a dying language and yearning because of the Speak Mandarin Campaign's restrictions.^[37] Some Singaporeans decided to travel to the neighbouring Malaysian city, Johor Bahru, so that they could watch the show in Teochew.^[34][42]

Despite Mandarin-dubbed Cantonese films from Hong Kong having been released in Singapore without much backlash, Dear You was a different case which "speaks of something a little bit more", causing more aggravation in the community.^[43]: 2:30 Films that did use non-Mandarin varieties, such as Teochew in How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies and Hokkien in Money No Enough, have similarly drawn greater attention.^[37] However, Loh Shurn Lin of The Straits Times wrote that the Teochew in the movie was slightly dissimilar from the variety of Teochew spoken in Singapore; elderly Singaporeans may not fully understand the dialogue in the movie.^[44] Loh wrote that the themes of the movie were more important than what language was spoken in the film.^[44]

Nick Huang and Luke Lu, linguists in Singaporean universities, said that it was a missed chance to allow for appreciation of the differences in the Chinese Singaporean community^[38] and Chinese culture.^[40] Chng Hak-Peng, a PhD in history candidate studying Hokkien business networks, wrote to The Straits Times that Dear You reminded people that the cultural identity of Singapore stemmed from Chinese migrants who maintained linguistic flexibility for economic reasons.^[5] Dawn Wei wrote that it would give Singaporeans an authentic voice to tell stories in.^[39] Darlene Machell Espena, an associate professor of Southeast Asian studies in the Singapore Management University (SMU), also said that more recognition must be given to these varieties of Chinese to preserve cultural diversity.^[38] Tan Jun Yi from The Straits Times wrote that to only air the film in Mandarin was harmful to the movie's vision and the watchers' experience, and that the heritage is likely to disappear if preservation efforts continue to face challenges,^[45] within a generation of speakers according to Lu,^[40] with no way of recovery if it dies out, due to the ageing population according to Dennis Tan of the Workers' Party.^[46]

Singaporean filmmakers, Eric Khoo and Jack Neo, wrote in criticism^[36] to The Straits Times, that screening a non-Mandarin Chinese film and screening a French or Malay film should not be treated differently,^[47] while Lu compared the situation to the freely-aired K-pop on the radio versus the restricted Cantopop.^[40] Dawn Wei questioned the special treatment towards Dear You, when the government themselves recognised that non-Mandarin varieties were valuable,^[36] and that Singaporeans are influenced more by unregulated media on streaming platforms than regulated films.^[39] Jeremy Siow, a political scientist, Lu, Khoo, Neo, and Kong described the campaign as outdated,^{[38][40][47][48]} citing reasons such as Mandarin's new threat as English, the impossibility of Mandarin's decline,^[40] and the inappropriate uniformity of the policies towards different domains like education and arts.^[48] Khoo and Neo said that it was something cinemas should not bear the burden of.^[47]

In response to the demand, the Infocomm Media Development Authority allowed subsequent festivals and "niche events" to screen the film in Teochew,^[38] and said that they will be more flexible in screening other films moving forward that use non-Mandarin varieties,^[49] revisiting their film classification guidelines regarding non-Mandarin variety films.^[50] Meanwhile, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information said that they were open to support Teochew screenings of Dear You if the distributor applied for them.^[49]

The government had been loosening their regulations on films using non-Mandarin varieties over the years even before the film's release.^[38] Espena and Ying Ying said that the few Teochew screenings were a good sign of the government's increasing flexibility.^{[38][43]: 1:43} Espena said that it reflected the changing attitude of the government towards openness regarding non-Mandarin varieties,^[38] and Dawn Wei said it was a significant shift in policy,^[39] but Ying Ying said that it was not a permanent solution.^[43]: 2:06 As a result, eleven members of parliament^[51] from the People's Action Party and the Workers' Party discussed the issue on July 7.^[46] The ministers uncontroversially^[39] recognised the changed social context and room for change from when the Speak Mandarin Campaign was first introduced, as well as how non-Chinese varieties did not compete with Mandarin.^[46] They also recognised that non-Chinese varieties contributed to cultural appreciation but still wanted to uphold Mandarin as the common language.^[46] However, Dawn Wei questions how much change can be made organically.^[39]

Golden Village (GV) cinemas, the distributor of the movie, and Clover Films screened the film both in Teochew and in Mandarin to give a choice for movie-goers.^[52] They sold out eight Teochew screenings in two hours on June 16,^[34] followed by another eight screenings in 1.5 hours on June 22,^[53] and another 40 screenings in three hours on June 29.^[54] More screenings were approved and put on sale after.^[55][46] Ticket scalpers were found on Carousell, selling tickets up to S$119 from its usual general price of S$18.50.^[53] There were virtual queues with wait times up to four hours and physical queues of up to 300 people at the reported opening time of sales.^[53] Teochew screenings were only available at VivoCity before the June 29 sale, but was made available island-wide after, to allow suburban residents to watch the film in Teochew more easily.^[56] Community screenings, supported by grassroots organisations, were also organised to screen the show to more seniors.^[55] Ngee Ann Kongsi, a Teochew philanthropic organisation, sponsored 900 tickets only to organisation members and affiliated partners, such as Teo Yeonh Huai Kuan, Ngee Ann Secondary School, and seniors in the Ngee Ann Kongsi Social Impact Hub.^[57]

Box office

Critical response

Despite being a low-budget independent film with a mostly amateur cast and lacking significant promotion, it unexpectedly went viral on China's social media and became a sleeper hit in the box office.^{[75][76][77][78]} The film initially accumulated a user rating of 9/10 on the Chinese online database Douban, and later climbed to 9.3, making it one of the highest-rated domestic drama films on the platform in the past decade.^[67] Simon You of IGN China gave the film a 9/10, saying that Dear You used "sincere" storytelling to accumulate emotions in ordinary details, showcasing the unique value of China's cinema.^[79] In a review, China's official newspaper, People's Daily, praised the film for its ability to evoke emotions and capture the essence of the overseas Chinese community's memories and bonds; it also commended Lan for highlighting the compassion and kindness of the Chaoshan people through the film.^[80] Douglas Montgomery of The Straits Times wrote that Dear You worked better than Beijing-supported films at promoting China, such as its history, language, and culture, to the Chinese diaspora, because of its authenticity and lack of state involvement.^[81]

South China Morning Post's James Marsh gave Dear You a 3.5 out of 5 rating and compared it to So Young (2013) and Hi, Mom (2021). He characterized the film as a highly nostalgic family drama whose emotional exploration of migration and ancestral heritage allowed it to defy expectations and become a word-of-mouth box office hit.^[82] The paper's editorial also noted that Dear You resonated with audiences due to its strong storytelling and authenticity, which highlighted the importance of family and community bonds. The piece argued that its success demonstrated that big budgets and famous actors are not essential for a film to achieve commercial success.^[3] He Huifeng observed that the exploration of Chaoshan's history and culture in the film, particularly the Nanyang migration histories of the 19th and early 20th centuries, captivated young people and reflected a growing interest in local traditions.^[83]

Comparing the "sentimental Teochew family drama" to commercial success counterparts like Hi, Mom, Elizabeth Kerr of Screen Daily praised its authenticity for offsetting the weak narrative, though she noted that the score and soundtrack were somewhat "saccharine", and its "cultural specific[ity]" might limit overseas appeal despite strong domestic box office performance.^[84] Gazettely's Zhi Ho awarded it a score of 7/10, praising the way it "treats letters as living objects". She lauded Li Sitong's restrained performance and the rich cultural texture of the remittance office scene, but noted that the film occasionally faltered due to a "heavy-handed score", a "narrow view of outsiders", and an "uneasy moral framing" regarding Nanzhi's sacrifices.^[85] Flickfeast's Katie Smith-Wong gave the film a 4/5 and also described it as a touching homage to those divided by distances yet bound together by their letters.^[86] In The Guardian's three-star review, Leslie Felperin described Dear You as an "enjoyable Chinese romdram" whose sentimental yet humorous narrative, strong sense of place, period detail, and naturalistic performances make it a worthwhile film despite occasional melodramatic elements.^[87] Robert Ewing of The People's Movies reviewed it with a 4.5/5 and expressed appreciation for its portrayal of themes such as "family, integrity, loyalty and language".^[88]

In commentaries published in Singapore's Chinese-language newspaper Lianhe Zaobao, Sim Tze Wei argued that the film's release in Singapore or Southeast Asia could deepen local Chinese communities' sense of identity with China and pose new governance challenges.^[89] Sim's perspective subsequently triggered controversy,^[90] Bernard Chan of South China Morning Post commented that looking at the film purely through a geopolitical or "soft power" lens oversimplified its impact.^[91] Writing for Lianhe Zaobao, Ji Yun, on the other hand, reflected on how Singapore, while striving for effective communication in English, should draw upon non-Mandarin varieties, qiaopi and other vernacular memory practices to mend transnational cultural ruptures.^[92] The Straits Times's Tan Dawn Wei, meanwhile, noted that the film brought the stories of Nanyang migration to a new generation.^[93]

Accolades

Post-Credits qiaopi

The film's post-credits scene features an authentic qiaopi written in 1960. The letter was authored by Xie Yingdiao, an 8-year-old Singaporean girl at the time. In the correspondence, she remits the scholarship money she earned for placing second in her school examinations to her grandmother in her hometown of Chaoshan as a Chinese New Year greeting. Now 74 years old, Xie was surprised to learn that her childhood letter had been utilized as material for the film. During the film's theatrical release in Singapore, she personally attended a screening at a local cinema and was photographed with the promotional poster. She stated that she was deeply moved to hear her native dialect in the theater and to see the qiaopi she had sent more than half a century prior, expressing pride in her Chaoshan heritage.^[97][98]