Completed - MANDARIN - Children's, Drama, First film - 102 minutes
A timid fifth grader, an orthodox middle-aged teacher, and a grumpy old man experience their first awakening to true self during the 1998 World Cup in China.
Year of production : 2017 Director(s) : Quan ZHOU Cast : Songwen ZHANG , Zhuo TAN, Pao-Ming KU, Zishan RONG Producer(s) : Jacqueline w. LIU (Each Other Films)
Xiaoyang, a fifth grader who needs an ally in rebelling against his controlling father finds a perfect match, his neighbor Grandpa Zheng. The two bond over the World Cup fever sweeping China in June 1998 and Grandpa Zheng starts to secretly train Xiaoyang for the school soccer team tryout. The mission takes an unexpected turn when Xiaoyang discovers his father’s romance with his homeroom teacher. At the same time, Grandpa Zheng suffers from the imminent request of reuniting with his own family in a faraway city. Xiaoyang decides to run away with Grandpa Zheng in the hope of staying with his best friend forever. It is a summer of adventure, exploration, and growing pain for three men from three generations. How will Xiaoyang reconcile with his new life, and face the complexities of adolescence?
Country(ies) : CHINA
Busan IFF 2017 - New currents (KNN Award)Berlin European Film Market (EFM) 2018