''Getting Home'' () is a 2007

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

comedy/drama film directed by Zhang Yang and starring Chinese comedian

Zhao Benshan Zhao Benshan (; born 2 October 1957) is a Chinese skit and sitcom actor, comedian, television director, and businessman. Originally from Liaoning province, Zhao has appeared on the CCTV New Year's Gala, a widely watched performing arts program, ...

. It is episodic and follows two workers in their 50s, Zhao (Zhao Benshan) and Liu (Hong Qiwen). The film opens when Liu unexpectedly dies after a night of drinking and Zhao decides to fulfill a promise to his friend to get him home, beginning a long odyssey from

Shenzhen Shenzhen (; ; ; ), also historically known as Sham Chun, is a major sub-provincial city and one of the special economic zones of China. The city is located on the east bank of the Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern province ...

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

with Liu's corpse on his back. Along the way, Zhao meets a variety of figures, played by several of China's better known

character actors A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

. ''Getting Home'' is Zhang Yang's fifth feature film. It was produced by Filmko Entertainment of

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

and the Beijing Jinqianshengshi Culture Media company of the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. International sales and distribution was by

Fortissimo Films Fortissimo Films is a Dutch sales, film production company specializing in the production, presentation, promotion and distribution of feature films, founded in 1991

out of Amsterdam. ''Getting Homes original title derives from a Chinese proverb meaning "A falling leaf returns to its roots." It is apparently based on a true story.)

Cast

as Zhao a middle-age worker who decides to carry his deceased friend home * Hong Qiwen as Liu *

Song Dandan Song Dandan (; born 25 August 1961) is a Chinese skit and sitcom actress. Biography Song was born in Beijing, on August 25, 1961, to a highly educated family. Her father Song Gong () was vice chairman of Beijing Federation of Literary and Art ...

as a middle-age homeless woman who sells her blood for money *

Guo Degang Guo Degang () is a Chinese crosstalk (''xiangsheng'') comedian and actor. Guo's film appearances include '' The 601st Phone Call'', ''Just Another Pandora's Box'', and '' Mystery''. Guo has also directed the films ''Our Happiness'' and ''The Fa ...

as a ringleader of a gang of thieves who attempts to hold up the bus Zhao first uses to transport Liu's corpse *

Hu Jun Hu Jun (born March 18, 1968) is a Chinese actor best known for playing dramatic roles in various films and television series. He has acted in a number of Hong Kong films. Biography Hu Jun was born on March 18, 1968, to Wang Yiman (), a drama ac ...

as a trucker who drives Zhao and Liu a part of the way *

Xia Yu Xia Yu may refer to: *Yu the Great, also known as Xia Yu, legendary founder of the Xia dynasty * Xia Yu (actor) (born 1978), Chinese actor *Ha Yu (actor) Wong Sing (born 14 June 1943), better known by his stage name Ha Yu, is a Hong Kong actor ...

as a cyclist attempting to bicycle to Tibet *

Wu Ma Fung Wang-yuen (22 September 1942 – 4 February 2014), better known by his stage name Wu Ma, was a Hong Kong actor, director, producer and writer. Wu Ma made his screen debut in 1963, and with over 240 appearances to his name (plus 49 directoria ...

as an elderly, wealthy, lonely man who Zhao meets along his journey * Liu Jinshan as a thuggish restaurateur * Chen Ying and Guo Tao as husband and wife beekeepers who have rejected modern society

Production

Originally titled ''Air'', ''Getting Home'' was financed by Filmko Films and

Fortissimo Films Fortissimo Films is a Dutch sales, film production company specializing in the production, presentation, promotion and distribution of feature films, founded in 1991

and produced by

Peter Loehr Peter Loehr is an American film producer and executive who spent the bulk of his career in Asia. He was the chief executive officer of Legendary East, a Beijing-based division of Legendary Entertainment from 2012 to 2017. Loehr first arrived in Chin ...

(of Ming Productions and the Imar Film Company) and Wouter Barendrecht of Fortissimo. This marked the first collaboration between Zhang and Filmko but the fifth with Fortissimo. Though the film documents Zhao's journey from

, the majority of shooting took place in

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...

, a Chinese province in the southwest.

Reception

''Getting Home'' had its Western debut in the 2007

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...

on 11 February 2007, as part of the festival's Panorama series. There it won the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury. Since Berlin, ''Getting Home'' has made the rounds in the festival circuit, including Silk Screen Asian American Film Festival,

Deauville Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...

and the

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

. Western critics, meanwhile, have embraced the film, with several noting that, while the synopsis recalls the American comedy ''

Weekend at Bernie's ''Weekend at Bernie's'' is a 1989 American black comedy film directed by Ted Kotcheff and written by Robert Klane, loosely based on the 1959 novella ''The Two Deaths of Quincas Wateryell'' by Jorge Amado. The film stars Andrew McCarthy and Jona ...

'', ''Getting Home'' far surpasses that film in plot, cast, and drama. One critic notes that the film is "a perfectly pitched and quite heartwarming drama about friendship and promises, with a welcome drop of dark humour." Several magazines, including ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' and ''

that's Beijing ''That's Beijing'' is a monthly English language magazine, distributed throughout Beijing, with a focus on news, current events, culture, art, music, fashion, nightlife and dining in Beijing. It is owned by Shanghai-based publishing group, Urbana ...

'' praised the performance of

in particular as "finely calibrated" and "vivid" respectively.

References

External links

* * *
''Getting Home''
at the Chinese Movie Database
''Getting Home''
from distributor

Fortissimo Films Fortissimo Films is a Dutch sales, film production company specializing in the production, presentation, promotion and distribution of feature films, founded in 1991

{{Golden Horse Award for Audience Choice 2007 films Chinese black comedy films 2000s Mandarin-language films 2000s road movies Films set in Shenzhen Films directed by Zhang Yang