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.
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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.
The film, which has been compared to 2000 American comedy Meet the Parents, will be released in Russia in early February.
Lead actor Dong said working with the Russian cast and crew was a learning experience for everyone.
“I didn’t know any of them before, but I was won over by their warm personalities,” he told The Beijing News.
Russian actor Khaev told the newspaper he hoped the film would give Chinese audiences a better understanding of Russians.
Some of the Russian crew members, meanwhile, were surprised by the prevalence of mobile apps to pay for everything in China, according to Chinese director Xia.
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China and Russia have been edging closer in recent years, amid pressure from the United States, and the film is the first to be made under a framework agreement signed between the two countries. Earlier this month, Russia’s ambassador to China, Andrey Ivanovich, told Chinese media the deal had created favourable conditions for cultural exchanges between the two sides.
After reading the script in 2017, Xia signed up for the project and the film shoot began on January 1, 2018 in Shanghai, the report said. Filming also took place in Suzhou, Jiangsu, and in Beijing, as well as Moscow.
Dong said the biggest challenge during filming in Moscow was the freezing temperature, which plunged to nearly minus 10 degrees Celsius. “The Russian actors had to massage my hands after every shoot,” he told the newspaper.
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Language was also a challenge, but Xia said the two countries had cultural similarities and he believed there should be more such collaborations on film projects, which could help improve understanding and overcome stereotypes.
Dong, who had a Russian teacher to help with his lines, said it had been an eye-opener for him. “I had never been to Russia before shooting began in Moscow,” he was quoted as saying. “It was a very exciting and fresh experience to ‘live’ like a Russian.”
