Christmas
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Duration: 00:19:05
Country/Region:
Mainland China
Release Year: 2021
Release Year: 2021
Story:
In a small fishing village in Fujian, people make their living by fishing, and becoming a fisherman seems to be a destiny ordained from birth. Growing up in a globalised environment, however, Dongdong yearns endlessly for the Western world. On Christmas Eve, he longs for a pair of basketball shoes, but his father is unable to fulfil his wish. "What kind of Christmas do Chinese people have?" The gap between culture and era hits this fisherman family, and under the suppression of ruthless reality and the American dream, the fishing village boy chooses to disappear. Where did Dongdong go?
In a small fishing village in Fujian, people make their living by fishing, and becoming a fisherman seems to be a destiny ordained from birth. Growing up in a globalised environment, however, Dongdong yearns endlessly for the Western world. On Christmas Eve, he longs for a pair of basketball shoes, but his father is unable to fulfil his wish. "What kind of Christmas do Chinese people have?" The gap between culture and era hits this fisherman family, and under the suppression of ruthless reality and the American dream, the fishing village boy chooses to disappear. Where did Dongdong go?
Cast
ZHANG Fengrui
Directors
Runtime :
19
minutes
Language :
South Fujianese Dialect
Subtitles :
Chinese, English
iMDB :
tt13370042
Festivals&Awards :
74th International Short Film Competition, Locarno Film Festival, 2021, Switzerland
74th International Short Film Competition, Locarno Film Festival, 2021, Switzerland
Tags :
#Daydreaming, #Father-and-Son, #West-and-East
Director‘s Statement
In the current era of globalisation, Western culture has deeply influenced the lives of Chinese teenagers. After the reform and opening up, influenced by consumerism, concepts such as NBA, Christmas, Hollywood, fried chicken, Nike trainers, etc. are mingled in the world of Chinese teenagers all the time. Although in reality, they may be far, far away from that world. However, in a small town where fishing is a closed, boring and repetitive daily life, the gorgeous "ideal country" imagined by Dong Dong in his mind is within his reach. The details of his room are a true reflection of his inner world. Growing up in China, I have also experienced the confusion that the protagonist goes through. The invasion of Western culture has greatly impacted the sense of self-identity and belonging of the young generation of Chinese. Through the story of Dong Dong, I would like to discuss dialectically the impact of the cultural differences between the East and the West on the youngsters in the closed fishing villages of China. As well as the generation gap between the fathers, who grew up under the circumstances of the Cultural Revolution, and their westernised sons in contemporary China. More importantly, how should we understand our own identity in this "dichotomous" world? Winter and his father are also in the same situation, and I hope that my work will invite the audience to enter their inner world and think about it together. At the same time, the film takes place in a single-parent family, and I really want to explore the expression of Chinese "love" in a single-parent family. In China, the words "I love you" are often not mentioned in family relationships. No matter how much we love our loved ones, we are often too shy to express it. I would like to make an effort to try to express this kind of shy Chinese fatherly love.
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Cast
ZHANG Fengrui
Director
