From Russia (and China) with love: comedy the first made under film deal
- Movie tells the story of a Shanghai doctor who travels to Moscow to win over his girlfriend’s father, a tough Russian oligarch
- It is a co-production made as part of a joint deal signed between the two countries in 2017
A romantic comedy about a Chinese man who goes to Russia to win over his girlfriend’s father is proving popular with mainland audiences after its nationwide release on Friday.
The film, co-directed by Chinese filmmaker Xia Hao and Russian Akaki Sahelashvili, is the first to be made under a joint film production deal signed between Beijing and Moscow in 2017.
Based on a popular 2015 Russian TV series, How I Became Russian tells the story of a Shanghai doctor, played by Dong Chang, who falls in love with a Russian oligarch’s daughter, played by Elizaveta Kononova.
He travels to Moscow seeking permission to marry her and is put through a series of tests – from a vodka-drinking contest to an icy dip and a bear hunt – by his unimpressed potential father-in-law, played by Vitaliy Khaev. But it is not enough to drive away the young suitor, and the Russian tycoon tries to find other ways to deter him.
According to box office tracking site CBO, the movie has earned 4.57 million yuan (US$675,630) since preview screenings began in China on Thursday.
