Primarily based on the novel by Shuang Xuetao, My Buddy An Delie marks seasoned actor Dong Zijian‘s directorial debut.
Dong has starred in Jia Zhangke’s Mountains Could Depart and Ash Is The Purest White, in addition to Han Han’s Duckweed, amongst others.
Dong tells Deadline that he spent almost six years growing My Buddy An Delie, which tells the story of Limo (performed by Liu Haoran) who travels again to his hometown in northeastern China after his father’s dying. Whereas on a flight, he spots his childhood good friend An Delie (performed by Dong himself) on the aircraft, however An doesn’t acknowledge him. Their flight is diverted attributable to extreme climate and the duo go on a journey that brings again long-forgotten recollections and pushes Limo to confront the demons of his previous.
“I used to be very moved by the depiction of youth within the novel and in addition felt a robust sense of craving and nostalgia about my very own childhood,” says Dong. “The novel didn’t share a lot about the way forward for these two characters however I’ve at all times puzzled how they’d end up.”
The movie will display screen on the Crimson Sea Movie Pageant from December 11. My Buddy An Delie had its world premiere on the Tokyo Worldwide Movie Pageant in late October.
“As I used to be making an attempt to dig up recollections from my childhood, I spotted that I’ve forgotten quite a bit and even the components that I can recount, the small print are hazy and the strains between truth and fiction really feel blurred,” says Dong. “I additionally realized that the very painful recollections I’ve repressed over time are essential for me to embrace, to maintain shifting ahead.”
Dong says that he didn’t actually take pleasure in going to high school when he was youthful.
“Once you’re younger, you need to be free and unbiased and develop up shortly,” says Dong. “Nonetheless, now that I’m an grownup, I form of assume that rising up is a little bit of lure and issues have turned out very in another way from what I anticipated.
“Each step of creating this movie was very tough, as I had by no means realized find out how to direct or make a movie. I went to college for performing and efficiency,” says Dong, who attended the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing. “However I did have the expertise of performing in movies for 10 years. Each step was an enormous studying expertise.”
Whereas growing My Buddy An Delie, he shared the screenplay with different administrators to hunt their suggestions.
He additionally shared the screenplay with editor Chang Sukping.
“His recommendation to me was that intuition is primary and this gave me loads of energy,” says Dong.
Reflecting on his directorial debut, Dong repeatedly brings up the significance of trusting his creative instincts whereas making a movie.
“I spotted that I’m somebody that works off my intuition rather a lot,” says Dong. “After ending this movie, I’ve acquired loads of new information and if I may make this movie once more, I do have ideas about how I may have made sure facets higher. However really, I additionally really feel like I couldn’t have made a greater movie as a result of instincts are so necessary and even when there are flaws, flaws are in a means, lovely too.”
With the story of My Buddy An Delie unfolding over only a few days, Dong determined to shoot primarily with pure gentle to mark the passage of time, working with cinematographer Lu Songye.
“Regardless that I didn’t get to spend a lot time with the cinematographer earlier than filming, we fairly shortly had an understanding of how we wished to gentle the movie,” says Dong.
“There was an evening simply earlier than manufacturing began the place I had hassle sleeping and was tossing and turning till 6 or 7 a.m.,” provides Dong. “I made a decision to go right down to eat some breakfast on the lodge and ran into the cinematographer, who additionally had a sleepless night time. We had really been interested by a sure facet of lighting within the movie and determined that we should always go together with a wholly totally different method — one which was less complicated.”
Dong mentioned that he will certainly direct one other movie. He’s at present growing two initiatives — one is impressed by a novel, whereas he’s writing an authentic screenplay for the opposite.