A Little Red Flower
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''A Little Red Flower'' () is a 2020 Chinese romantic-
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
film directed by Han Yan from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jinliang Han, Han Li, Jia Jia Wei, and Yu Yonggan. It stars
Jackson Yee Jackson Yee (, Chinese name Yi Yangqianxi, born on 28 November 2000) is a Chinese actor, dancer and singer. After a talent manager discovered him at a children's talent competition, where he performed a hip-hop dance, and signed to TF Entertainm ...
as Wei Yihang, a teenager who has been in remission following a brain tumor operation years prior, and
Liu Haocun Liu Haocun (; born ) is a Chinese actress. She made her acting debut in the drama film '' One Second'' (2020), and has since gone on to appear in various film titles. Early life Liu was born in Tonghua, Jilin Province. She studied in the middl ...
as a fellow patient named Ma Xiaoyuan. The idea for the film was conceived when Yan was working on ''
Go Away Mr. Tumor ''Go Away Mr. Tumor'' () is 2015 Chinese comedy-drama film. It is based on the life of comic book artist Xiong Dun, who after her cancer diagnosis authored a popular webcomic that became a sensation in China. Xiong died in 2012 at the age of 30 ...
'' (2015), a film about cancer patient and comic book artist Xiong Dun. ''A Little Red Flower'' premiered on December 31, 2020, and grossed $216 million, setting multiple box-office records in China and becoming one of the highest-grossing films of 2020. The film sparked controversy over its similar plot to the American film ''
The Fault in Our Stars ''The Fault in Our Stars'' is a novel by John Green. It is his fourth solo novel, and sixth novel overall. It was published on January 10, 2012. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play ''Julius Caesar'', in which the noble ...
'' (2014). Unveiled documents revealed that a canceled Chinese remake of the American film had been in development and that ''A Little Red Flower'' could have potentially derived from it with no connections or credit to the original source. However, Yan has said that parts of the film were actually inspired by real-life events that he witnessed himself.


Plot

Wei Yihang, a cynical and reclusive teenager, has been in remission since his brain tumor operation two years ago. After meeting fellow brain tumor patient Ma Xiaoyuan, Wei begins to open up socially, as the pair share various imaginary travel adventures and try to live life as "ordinary people" which they are unable to be because of their respective illnesses. At the same time, Wei begins forming a deeper understanding and appreciation of his family, who have unconditionally supported him during his medical difficulties. At one point, Wei sees his grandmother volunteering to sell her house to fund his medical expenses, with his uncles and aunts saying they would do the same, sending his father into tears. Soon after, Wei is allowed to travel to a lake in
Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
that he once saw in a hallucination where he was playing with an unknown girl. Ma and Wei set off their journey together. However, Ma faints on the train and is sent to the hospital, where she is given a grim prognosis. Wei accompanies and cares for Ma during her final days, including shaving his head and conjuring a "potion of no return". During this time, Wei and his mother discuss the difficult topic of death, with Wei's parents recording and sending him a video depicting their life in case of Wei's death. Wei cries as he watches their video, now comforted by the fact that his parents will be able to carry forward even if he is no longer around. After Ma dies, Wei packs up her belongings. One year later, Wei finishes his classes in college. He then makes a trip to Qinghai by himself, where he finally arrives at the lake he frequently hallucinates. There, Wei sees images of himself with Ma playing in the waters. It occurs to him that those images are not hallucinations, but life in a parallel universe where he, Wei, and all his fellow cancer friends are healthy and living ordinary lives.


Cast

*
Jackson Yee Jackson Yee (, Chinese name Yi Yangqianxi, born on 28 November 2000) is a Chinese actor, dancer and singer. After a talent manager discovered him at a children's talent competition, where he performed a hip-hop dance, and signed to TF Entertainm ...
as Wei Yihang *
Liu Haocun Liu Haocun (; born ) is a Chinese actress. She made her acting debut in the drama film '' One Second'' (2020), and has since gone on to appear in various film titles. Early life Liu was born in Tonghua, Jilin Province. She studied in the middl ...
as Ma Xiaoyuan *Yuanyuan Zhu as Tao Hui *Yalin Gao as Wei Jiang


Production

''A Little Red Flower'' was directed and co-written by Han Yan, who had previously worked on ''
Go Away Mr. Tumor ''Go Away Mr. Tumor'' () is 2015 Chinese comedy-drama film. It is based on the life of comic book artist Xiong Dun, who after her cancer diagnosis authored a popular webcomic that became a sensation in China. Xiong died in 2012 at the age of 30 ...
'', a comedy-drama about the life of Xiong Dun, a comic book artist who became famous after creating a popular webcomic shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. As that film tackled a person's individual fight against cancer, Han wanted ''A Little Red Flower'' to show how entire families struggled with the same problem, stating that the film was "intended as a spiritual guide and therapeutic support for the audience", and that it was the second part of his "Trilogy of Life". During production, Han worked with film colorist Hua Cheng to give the film a "natural look", eventually deciding to use the DaVinci Resolve 17 tool to give color to the film and a high quality look. Produced by Yin Lu and Lian Ray, ''A Little Red Flower'' began filming on June 12, 2020, in the
Shinan District Shinan District () is an urban district of Qingdao, Shandong. It has an area of , and had approximately 588,800 inhabitants as of 2019. Shinan is located in coastal hilled terrain, and has a temperate monsoon climate. Common features include mod ...
of the city of
Qingdao Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
. To prepare for his role,
Jackson Yee Jackson Yee (, Chinese name Yi Yangqianxi, born on 28 November 2000) is a Chinese actor, dancer and singer. After a talent manager discovered him at a children's talent competition, where he performed a hip-hop dance, and signed to TF Entertainm ...
went to Qingdao one month prior to filming, lost weight in an attempt to become "closer to the character's morbid setting", began searching for information about brain cancer, and consulted a doctor to learn about patients affected by it.


Reception


Box office

''A Little Red Flower'' was theatrically released in China on December 31, 2020. It grossed US$39 million on its first day and $80.1 million over its three-day-opening weekend, breaking several
New Year's Day New Year's Day is a festival observed in most of the world on 1 January, the first day of the year in the modern Gregorian calendar. 1 January is also New Year's Day on the Julian calendar, but this is not the same day as the Gregorian one. Wh ...
's box-office records in the country. By its second weekend, the film had grossed $160 million nationwide, becoming the highest-grossing film of 2020, in front of the American releases of ''
Soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
'' and ''
Wonder Woman 1984 ''Wonder Woman 1984'' (also known as ''WW84'') is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC character Wonder Woman. Produced by Warner Bros. Pictures, DC Films, Atlas Entertainment, and The Stone Quarry, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pi ...
''. It made $11.7 million in its third weekend, and $7 million in its fourth. By its fifth and final sixth weekend, ''A Little Red Flower'' managed to gross over $200 million, and was still ahead of both American films, but fell behind on the weekly earnings of '' Big Red Envelope'' and ''
Shock Wave 2 ''Shock Wave 2'' is a 2020 Hong Kong-Chinese action film written and directed by Herman Yau, produced by and starring Andy Lau. The film is a standalone sequel to the 2017 film ''Shock Wave'', featuring a new storyline and characters. In the fi ...
''. The following weekend, the film was overtaken from its number one spot by the $398 million three-day opening weekend record set by ''
Detective Chinatown 3 ''Detective Chinatown 3'' () is a 2021 Chinese comedy mystery buddy film directed and written by Chen Sicheng, starring Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran. It is a sequel to ''Detective Chinatown 2'' (2018) and is the third installment in the ''Detec ...
''.


Controversy

Following its release, several filmgoers claimed that the premise of ''A Little Red Flower'' was similar to that of the 2014 film ''
The Fault in Our Stars ''The Fault in Our Stars'' is a novel by John Green. It is his fourth solo novel, and sixth novel overall. It was published on January 10, 2012. The title is inspired by Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's play ''Julius Caesar'', in which the noble ...
'', which had been produced by the American company
Fox 2000 Pictures Fox 2000 Pictures was an American film production company within The Walt Disney Studios. It was a sister studio of the larger film studio 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures specializing in producing independent films in mid-range rel ...
, and had also never been theatrically released in China. ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'', quoting user posts and comments from
Douban Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese c ...
, reported on January 13, 2021, that
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
had attempted to create a Chinese remake to ''The Fault in Our Stars'' in 2016, with the former president of
Fox International Productions Fox International Productions was the division of 20th Century Studios, 20th Century Fox in charge of local production in China, Europe, India and Latin America. History 2008-2010 In 2008, 20th Century Fox started its international division, ...
, Tomas Jegeus, confirming that a remake was indeed in development at the studio with Yin Lu and Han Yan producing, and Yu Yonggan writing the film's script. Shortly after, two official film notices announced that the remake was in the works, but after the
acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney The acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney was announced on December 14, 2017, and was completed on March 20, 2019. Among other key assets, the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by the Walt Disney Company included the 20th Century Fox film and ...
, the studio decided to drop the film in 2018 to work on ''
Dil Bechara ''Dil Bechara'' () is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age romance film directed by Mukesh Chhabra in his directorial debut, and produced by Fox Star Studios, with a script written by Shashank Khaitan and Suprotim Sengputa. Based on Joh ...
'', the Indian remake of ''The Fault in Our Stars''. In 2018, a notice was released by the Film Administration for a project titled ''Hopeless in Love'', which would be produced by HG Entertainment and Lian Ray Pictures, with a premise similar to the original remake that had been in development. In 2020, ''A Little Red Flower'' was released from the same production companies, and with Yin Lu producing, Yu Yonggan co-writing, and Han Yan directing, but with no credit or mentions to Fox. However, Han said that many of the scenes portrayed in the story were inspired by real-life events that he witnessed himself. One scene portrays how Wei Yihang orders a takeaway meal for a stranger who is walking in a daze on the street after losing his daughter to cancer, which he stated was in fact based on an incident he witnessed at the entrance of the Peking University Third Hospital in Beijing. Both Disney, who acquired Fox, and ''A Little Red Flower'''s co-producer Lian Ray have declined to comment on the matter.


Accolades


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Little Red Flower 2020 romantic drama films Chinese romantic drama films Films about cancer Films directed by Han Yan Films involved in plagiarism controversies Films shot in Shandong