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A Little Red Flower

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This article is about the 2020 film. For the 2006 film, see Little Red Flowers.

A Little Red Flower
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese送你一朵小紅花
Simplified Chinese送你一朵小红花
Literal meaningGive You A Little Red Flower
Hanyu Pinyinsòng nǐ yī duǒ xiǎo hónghuā
Directed byHan Yan
Written by
  • Jinliang Han
  • Han Yan
  • Han Li
  • Jia Jia Wei
  • Yu Yonggan
Produced by
  • Yin Lu
  • Lian Ray
Starring
CinematographyRui Zhong
Music byZhao Yingjun
Production
company
Lian Ray Pictures
Distributed byHG Entertainment
Release date
  • December 31, 2020 (2020-12-31)
Running time
122 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin
Box office$220.5 million[1]

A Little Red Flower (Chinese: 送你一朵小红花) is a 2020 Chinese drama 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 as Wei Yihang, a teenager who has been in remission following a brain tumor operation years prior, and Liu Haocun as a fellow patient named Ma Xiaoyuan.

The idea for the film was conceived when Yan was working on Go Away Mr. Tumor (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 (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

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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 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, Ma, and all his fellow cancer friends are healthy and living ordinary lives.

Cast

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Production

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"I put all my views on life over the past few years into this movie. As I grow older, I find that being alive is not easy. Everyone has exhausted everything to live, let alone those who are sick and families with patients. I hope everyone can feel love and warmth through this movie, don't complain about life, and cherish every minute and every second. To live well is a gift from heaven."

—Director Han Yan[2]

A Little Red Flower was directed and co-written by Han Yan, who had previously worked on Go Away Mr. Tumor, 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.[3] 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".[3][4]

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.[5] Produced by Yin Lu and Lian Ray, A Little Red Flower began filming on June 12, 2020, in the Shinan District of the city of Qingdao.[6] To prepare for his role, Jackson Yee 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.[7]

Reception

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Box office

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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,[8][9] breaking several New Year's Day's box-office records in the country.[10] 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 and Wonder Woman 1984.[11] It made $11.7 million in its third weekend, and $7 million in its fourth.[12][13] 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.[14][15] 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.[16]

Controversy

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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, which had been produced by the American company Fox 2000 Pictures, and had also never been theatrically released in China.[17] The Hollywood Reporter, quoting user posts and comments from Douban, reported on January 13, 2021, that Fox had attempted to create a Chinese remake to The Fault in Our Stars in 2016, with the former president of Fox International Productions, 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.[17]

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 studio decided to drop the film in 2018 to work on Dil Bechara, the Indian remake of The Fault in Our Stars.[17] 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.[17] 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.[17] 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.[3] Both Disney, who acquired Fox, and A Little Red Flower's co-producer Lian Ray have declined to comment on the matter.[17]

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Golden Elm Flower Awards January 6, 2021 Best New Performer Liu Haocun Won [18]
Huading Awards August 12, 2021 Best Picture A Little Red Flower Nominated [19]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture Jackson Yee Nominated
Best New Performer Liu Haocun Won
Best Supporting Actor Yalin Gao Won
Best Song Zhao Yingjun Nominated
34th Golden Rooster Awards December 30, 2021 Best Director Han Yan Nominated [20][21]
Best Actor Jackson Yee Nominated
Best Actress Liu Haocun Nominated
Best Cinematography Rui Zhong Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "A Little Red Flower". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  2. ^ "韩延谈《送你一朵小红花》：积极生活，奖励无处不在" [Han Yan on Send You A Little Red Flower: Active life, rewards everywhere]. People's Daily (in Chinese). December 31, 2020. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Yau, Elaine (January 12, 2021). "New Jackson Yee movie A Little Red Flower is China's first box office hit of 2021 – how the terminal romance story won over audiences". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  4. ^ "《送你一朵小红花》：'跳出自己的小世界'" [Send You A Little Red Flower: 'Out of Your Little World']. People's Daily (in Chinese). January 19, 2021. Archived from the original on January 20, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  5. ^ Hueter, S. (January 27, 2021). "Chinese Hit Film A Little Red Flower Graded by Homeboy Using DaVinci Resolve Studio 17". Creative Planet Network. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
  6. ^ "Qingdao's Shinan district features in box office hit movie". Qingdao – China Daily. January 5, 2021. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  7. ^ "《送你一朵小红花》路透照曝光：易烊千玺光头造型引热议" [Send You A Little Red Flower Reuters photo exposure: Yi Yang Qianxi's bald head shape is hotly discussed]. The Paper (in Chinese). July 9, 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-01-31.
  8. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (January 3, 2021). "China Kicks Off 2021 With Record New Year's Day Box Office As Market Ends 2020 At No. 1 Globally". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  9. ^ Davis, Rebecca; Frater, Patrick (January 3, 2021). "China Box Office: Huge Weekend Sees Soul Soar and 'Little Red Flower' Shoot". Variety. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  10. ^ Hancock, Tom (January 19, 2021). "China Is Counting on Consumers to Bolster the Recovery". Bloomberg News. Retrieved February 17, 2021. On the first day of 2021, Chinese moviegoers packed into cinemas to watch the romantic comedy Warm Hug and the drama A Little Red Flower, generating the country's biggest New Year's box office on record. The 545 million-yuan ($84 million) splashed out on movie tickets was the latest sign that household spending in China is above pre-pandemic levels.
  11. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (January 10, 2021). "Wonder Woman 1984 Nears $100M Offshore; China's Little Red Flower Leads Weekend – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  12. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (January 17, 2021). "China Box Office: A Little Red Flower Wins Another Quiet Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  13. ^ Frater, Patrick (January 24, 2021). "China Box Office: Big Red Envelope Opens With $8 Million Weekend". Variety. Archived from the original on January 30, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  14. ^ Frater, Patrick (January 31, 2021). "China Box Office Earns $33 Million in Weekend Without new Releases". Variety. Archived from the original on February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  15. ^ Brzeski, Patrick (February 8, 2021). "China Box Office: Earnings Slow to a Trickle Ahead of Lunar New Year Bonanza". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 11, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  16. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (February 14, 2021). "Detective Chinatown 3 Tops Avengers: Endgame For Biggest Opening Weekend Ever In A Single Market With $398M, IMAX Crushes Records & Performance Perks Up Hollywood Hope – International Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Brzeski, Patrick; Masters, Kim (January 13, 2021). "Chinese Blockbuster's Similarity to Fox's Fault In Our Stars Ignites Debate Over Derivative Work (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved January 13, 2021.
  18. ^ "2021 First Chinese Film Awards: The First Golden Elm Flower Awards From the Aollywood Film Critics Association Released the Winners in Macau, China". Business Wire. January 6, 2021. Archived from the original on February 22, 2021. Retrieved February 22, 2021.
  19. ^ "The 30th Huading Awards – Chinese Film Satisfaction Survey Ceremony Announced the Winners in MGM Cotai Theater, Macao, China". Business Wire. August 12, 2021. Archived from the original on August 22, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  20. ^ 第34届中国电影金鸡奖公布完整提名名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 29 November 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  21. ^ 第34届中国电影金鸡奖完整名单. qq.com (in Chinese). 30 December 2021. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
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