SINGAPORE – Within the Chinese language New 12 months drama-comedy Reunion Dinner, a person is compelled to decide on between his profession and a secret ache that has separated him from his mom for years. It’s a secret that he has hidden from everybody, together with his fiancee.
Buried childhood trauma is an unexpectedly heavy theme for a vacation film, however actor Mark Lee wouldn’t have it some other manner.
“I wished a undertaking that was a comedy, but in addition heat and significant. I feel audiences are altering too. They do not need slapstick motion pictures for Chinese language New 12 months,” says Lee, 53.
“I am too previous to do slapstick anyway,” he provides, talking to The Straits Occasions at a press occasion on Jan 18 at Marina Bay Sands.
Reunion Dinner opens in Singapore on Jan 20.
Li Chao Yang (performed by Beijing-based Singaporean actor Lawrence Wong) is a profitable promoting company artistic director who turns into distraught when a shopper forces him to contain his actual household, together with his dad and mom, in a Chinese language New 12 months reunion dinner product marketing campaign.
As an alternative of coping with his points, Li opts to spin an internet of lies to guard the enviable social standing he has struggled to realize.
He ropes in his buddy and father determine, freelance actor Wei (Mark Lee), to assist preserve his facade. Li’s scheme permits him to maintain his mom Yan Ling (Singaporean actress Xiang Yun) out of his life.
His girlfriend Liu Zi Hong (Chinese language actress Cya Liu), unaware of his deception, invitations her father Lan Ting (China-born, Singapore actor Guo Liang) to fly from China to Singapore for the dinner, complicating her fiance’s plans.
Reunion Dinner, collectively produced by Chinese language media firm iQiyi and Singapore’s Clover Movies, is tentatively scheduled for launch in China on the iQiyi service on Jan 27.
It’s directed by Singaporean Ong Kuo Sin, whose credit embrace No 1 (2020), which additionally stars Lee. The musical comedy acquired two Golden Horse nominations, together with Finest Main Actor for Lee, who didn’t win. The movie triumphed within the Finest Make-up and Costume Design class.