''Duckweed'' ( zh, 乘风破浪; lit. ''Ride the Winds, Break the Waves'') is a 2017 Chinese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Han Han Han Han (born September 23, 1982) is a Chinese best-selling author, professional rally driver, singer, creator of ''Party'', One (App magazine) and China's most popular blogger. He has published seven novels to date, and is represented by the H ...

and starring

Deng Chao Deng Chao (, born 8 February 1979) is a Chinese actor, comedian, director and singer. His recent films, '' The Breakup Guru'' (2014), '' The Mermaid'' (2016) and ''Duckweed'' (2017) are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time in ...

Eddie Peng Eddie Peng Yu-Yan (; born 24 March 1982) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and model. Personal life Peng was born in Penghu, Taiwan. He moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at the age of thirteen. In 2000, he graduated from Sir Winston Church ...

Zhao Liying Zhao Liying (, born 16 October 1987), also known as Zanilia Zhao, is a Chinese actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in television series ''Legend of Lu Zhen'' (2013), ''Boss & Me'' (2014), ''The Journey of Flower'' (2015), ''The My ...

and

Dong Zijian Dong Zijian (, born 19 December 1993) is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Young Style'' (2013), ''Mountains May Depart'' (2015), ''De Lan'' (2015) and ''At Cafe 6'' (2016). Early life and education Dong is born in Beijing, Ch ...

. It was released on January 28, 2017.

Plot

The film tells the story about the reconciliation between a father and his son. Ah Lang, a youth from a small town, thinks that his father Ah Zheng never understood his occupation and life. In a fateful occurrence, he is able to experience his father's legendary and interesting life in the past. Movie started with Xu Tailang (

) winning the 2022 China Rally Championship as his aging father, Xu Zhengtai (

) watches. Following this, while taking his father for a speed drive an oncoming train crashes into the side at rear end of his car as it jumps over the railway track As he lies on the gurney being pushed along the corridor of a hospital, he sees himself transported back in time to 1998 in the town where he was born. Thus, begins his comical adventures with his young father (

) and the people during that time period, at the same time meeting his mother whom he has never seen in person because she committed suicide due to

postpartum depression Postpartum depression (PPD), also called postnatal depression, is a type of mood disorder associated with childbirth, which can affect both sexes. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, crying episodes, irritability, and chan ...

after giving birth to him. Through it all, he learns how his father lived his life then, how much he loved his mother (

Zanilia Zhao Zhao Liying (, born 16 October 1987), also known as Zanilia Zhao, is a Chinese actress and singer. She is best known for her roles in television series '' Legend of Lu Zhen'' (2013), '' Boss & Me'' (2014), ''The Journey of Flower'' (2015), ''The ...

), why he went to prison for six years, understands his father better and gains respect for him.

Cast

;Starring *

as Xu Tailang *

as Xu Zhengtai *

as Xiao Hua ;Special invitation *

* Zack Gao * Zhang Benyu ;Special appearance *

Li Ronghao Li Ronghao (born July 11, 1985, in Bengbu, Anhui) is a Chinese singer-songwriter, actor and producer. He has released six studio albums, three EPs, and won the Golden Melody Award for Best New Singer in 2013. He has also acted in 3 movies, most ...

Mason Lee Mason Lee (born May 30, 1990) is a Taiwanese-American actor. He is the son of three-time Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, and Jane Lin, a microbiology researcher. He is best known for playing the role of Teddy in ''The Hangover Part II ...

;Guest appearance *

Chin Shih-chieh Chin Shih-chieh (; born 29 December 1951) is a Taiwanese actor, director and playwright. Chin is known for his work with the , the , and the . By 1980, he was known as a director, leading the performances of ''Ho Chu’s New Match'' for Lanling. H ...

(''credited as King Shihchieh'') * Fang Li * Joshua Yi * Alice Xiong * Sun Yihan * Li Chunai

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews both in China and internationally. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

it has a score of 83% based on reviews from six critics. Maggie Lee of ''Variety'' reported "More relaxed and carefree than any of the Lunar New Year blockbusters jostling for the holiday crowd, the film is sprinkled with witty grace notes and is crowd-pleasing without being too ingratiating or idiotic."

Box office

The film became one of the highest grossing Chinese films of the year, making one billion yuan in less than one month after being released.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 6461514 Chinese drama films 2017 films 2010s Mandarin-language films Films about time travel Films set in 1998 Films set in 2022 Films set in Shanghai Films shot in Shanghai 2017 drama films