''Sister'', also known as ''My Sister'' (), is a 2021 Chinese coming-of-age drama film directed by Yin Ruoxi and written by . It stars

Zhang Zifeng Zhang Zifeng (born 27 August 2001), also known as Wendy Zhang, is a Chinese actress currently attending Beijing Film Academy. She is widely considered one of the best young actors in China today. In 2012 she won Best Newcomer at the 31st Hundr ...

in the titular lead role, with Xiao Yang,

Zhu Yuanyuan Zhu Yuanyuan (; born 18 March 1974) is a Chinese actress. Zhu is noted for her roles as Tao Hua and Song Yu in the film and television series ''The Forest Ranger'' and ''The Forest Ranger'' respectively. Early life Zhu was born and raised in Sh ...

, Duan Bowen, and

Connor Leong Liang Jingkang (; born 4 January 1994), also known as Leon Leong, formerly Connor Leong, is a Chinese actor and model. He is best known for his role as Feng Meizuo in the television series ''Meteor Garden'' (2018), which propelled him to fame i ...

as the other cast members. It was released in China on 2 April 2021. The film grossed US$52.8 million in its opening weekend, replacing '' Godzilla vs. Kong'' as the top film at the weekend Chinese box office. The film has been received positively, with acclaim for Zhang Zifeng's performance, and has sparked discussion about

gender roles A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cent ...

and traditional values in modern Chinese society.

Plot

The film tells a story about the bond between an older sister and her younger brother. When An Ran loses her parents in a traffic accident, she must decide whether to pursue her independence or bring up her 6-year-old half-brother. The film, which was written and directed by You Xiaoying and Yin Ruoxi, both young female filmmakers, examines themes of traditionalism in Chinese society,

patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of dominance and privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical anthropological term for families or clans controlled by the father or eldest male or group of males a ...

, the traditional preference for sons over daughters, and

filial piety In Confucianism, Chinese Buddhism, and Daoist ethics, filial piety (, ''xiào'') (Latin: pietas) is a virtue of respect for one's parents, elders, and ancestors. The Confucian ''Classic of Filial Piety'', thought to be written around the late W ...

Cast

Production

A small-budget film, ''Sister'' was shot in

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

from July to September 2020. Like '' Farewell, My Lad'' (再见，少年), the film is a collaboration between Zhang Zifeng and Yin Ruoxi. The main theme song, "Sister", written by Zhang Chu and sung by

Roy Wang Roy Wang, also known as Wang Yuan () is a Chinese singer-songwriter, television host and actor. He was named by ''Time'' as one of the 30 Most Influential Teens of 2017. Wang has been a UNICEF ambassador since 2018. He set up his own charity fou ...

, was released on 17 March 2021.

Box office

The film was released on 2 April 2021,

Qingming Festival The Qingming festival or Ching Ming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day in English (sometimes also called Chinese Memorial Day or Ancestors' Day), is a traditional Chinese festival observed by the Han Chinese of mainland China, Hong Ko ...

weekend. In its opening weekend, the film grossed

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

52.8 million, surpassing '' Godzilla vs. Kong'' earnings in China the same weekend. The film's success has drawn comparisons to '' Hi, Mom'', another woman-written and woman-directed family-focused film that exceeded expectations at the box office earlier the same year.

Reception

The film received a 100 percent rating 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 ...

based on five reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The film was well received by critics and audiences upon its release. Its themes sparked discussion about traditional values,

, and the role of

women in China Like women in many other cultures, women in China have been historically oppressed. For thousands of years, women in China lived under the patriarchal social order characterized by the Confucius teaching of “filial piety.” In modern China ...

. Sociologist

Li Yinhe Li Yinhe (; née Li Sanfan; born February 4, 1952) is a Chinese sociologist, sexologist, and activist for LGBT rights in China. Her main academic interests have been sexual norms in contemporary China, homosexuality, diverse sexual behaviors ...

, who studies gender roles in China, called the movie "a profound work based on solid social reality" and noted the conflict between individualism and traditional family values. Zhang Zifeng's performance was especially cited as the highlight of the film by critics, with some calling it a "breakthrough" and a "tour de force". James Marsh of the ''

South China Morning Post The ''South China Morning Post'' (''SCMP''), with its Sunday edition, the ''Sunday Morning Post'', is a Hong Kong-based English-language newspaper owned by Alibaba Group. Founded in 1903 by Tse Tsan-tai and Alfred Cunningham, it has remained ...

'' praised the film's acting and its "progressive stance" tackling social issues like gender inequality.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* *{{douban, 35158160 2021 films 2020s coming-of-age drama films Chinese coming-of-age drama films Films about families Films set in Chengdu Films shot in Chengdu Sichuanese-language films Films about siblings Films about sexism