So Young (film)

So Young
Directed by	Zhao Wei
Produced by	Stanley Kwan (executive producer)
Screenplay by	Li Qiang
Based on	To Our Youth that is Fading Away by Xin Yiwu
Starring	Mark Chao Han Geng Yang Zishan Jiang Shuying
Music by	Dou Peng
Cinematography	Li Ran
Edited by	Chan Chi-wai
Production company	Hua Shi Film Investment Co., Ltd China Film Group Co-production: Beijing Enlight Pictures Pulin Films Co., Ltd Beijing Ruyi Xinxin Film Investment Beijing Max Times Cultural Development Dook Publishing
Distributed by	China Film Group
Release date	April 26, 2013 (2013-04-26)
Running time	132 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin
Budget	30 million yuan (US$5 million)
Box office	718 million yuan (US$118 million)[1]

So Young (simplified Chinese: 致我们终将逝去的青春; traditional Chinese: 致我們終將逝去的青春) is a 2013 Chinese drama film directed by Zhao Wei. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name To Our Youth that is Fading Away by Xin Yiwu. The film is Zhao's directorial debut.

The film's English-language title alludes to the song So Young by the British alternative rock band Suede from their self-titled debut album. In addition to the novel, the film was also based in part by Zhao's own personal college experience in the 1990s.^[2]

The film has become a major success at the Chinese box office, grossing over US$118 million with a US$5 million budget.^[1]

Plot

Zheng Wei starts her college freshman year as a civil engineer major to be in the same city as her childhood playmate, Lin Jing, whom she is determined to marry one day. When Wei visits Jing at his college dormitory however, Jing's roommate tells her Jing left for America. Unable to understand why Jing abruptly left without saying goodbye, Wei is left confused and heartbroken.

Back in her college dormitory, Wei becomes close friends with her three roommates, Ruan Guan, the most beautiful and popular girl in the class; Li Weijuan, a practical and realistic girl who comes from a poor town but determined to marry well; and Zhu Xiaobei, a tomboy. The four girls talk about their goals in life, and all cheer to Ruan Guan's ambition—to have a youth that never fades away.

Wei is befriended by Lao Zhang and his roommate Xu Kaiyang, architecture majors, during the college clubs and activities fair. Kaiyang came from a well-to-do family and starts a romantic pursuit for Wei, but Wei only regards him as a friend. One evening Wei goes to Lao Zhang and Kaiyang's dorm room to borrow their DVDs. Wei is amazed and disgusted by the messy condition of the male dormroom, except one bed and corner that is uncannily neat and clean. Lao Zhang explains that this spot belongs to their disciplined and hardworking roommate, Chen Xiaozheng. Laozhang exits for a moment to find his DVDs, leaving Wei alone in the room. Wei sees a near finished building model on the table and curiously starts fumbling with the parts. At this moment Xiaozheng comes back and angrily yells out, "What are you doing?" Startled and swinging around to see yelled, Wei knocks the model off the table. Xiaozheng manages to save his model by shoving Wei out of the way, who falls in a mess to the floor. Enraged in humiliation, Wei angrily demands an apology from Xiaozheng, but Xiaozheng coolly replies that he has nothing to apologize for and that it was her fault for touching his model. From this moment, Wei becomes determined to repeatedly humiliate and bring trouble to Xiaozheng until she gets the apology she believes she deserves. Through her attempts Wei comes to the startling realization that in fact, she likes Xiaozheng. From Lao Zhang and Weijuan, Wei learns that Xiaozheng comes from a poor family and was raised by a strict mother, hence his aloof and disciplined personality. Wei declares her interest in Xiaozheng, then openly, relentlessly, and shamelessly stalks Xiaozheng to get his attention, much to his annoyance. Eventually, Xiaozheng, impressed by her enthusiasm, determination, and spirit finds that he has come to like Wei too, and the two start going together.

During the rest of their college life and relationship, Xiaozheng and Wei find that they have starkly contrasting personalities. Although he appreciates Wei's fiery enthusiastic personality, Xiaozheng also reprimands Wei at times for her laid-back and undisciplined attitude towards her coursework. Wei asks Xiaozheng why he is always so serious about everything. Xiaozheng replies, "I don't know what your attitude towards your life is, but my life is like a building that can only be built once, so I cannot afford any margin of error, not even a centimeter's width." Due to his family's modest financial circumstances, Xiaozheng feels that he needs to do anything and everything he can to ensure the best possible professional future for himself.

Eventually graduation comes upon Wei and Xiaozheng. At the on-campus recruitment and interview fair, Wei hopes she and Xiaozheng can find work at the same institute thus remain together. Unbeknownst to Wei, Xiaozheng has applied to and obtained a graduate fellowship to study architecture in America. When Wei finally learns of his plan, she confronts Xiaozheng to ask why she was the last one to know. Xiaozheng attempts to explain with difficulty that he could not tell her because he was afraid of hurting her and reiterates that he can not make any mistake in his life. He then apologizes, saying that he had to make this choice of leaving her to make a better future for himself.

A few years later, Wei has now become a mature professional who excels in her work, and is much different from her bygone youthful days. One day she suddenly encounters Lin Jing. Jing explains that he left abruptly because he learned his father was having an affair with Wei's mother, so he could not face Wei. He never went to America, but avoided contact with Wei. The one time when he saw Wei on at her campus, she was happy with Xiaozheng. Now however, he wants to come back and rekindle their friendship and, if possible, romance. At this time, Xiaozheng also returns from America, now as a renowned and accomplished architect. Though he has everything professionally that he was determined to get, Xiaozheng finds the life that he has gained empty and crippled. He deeply regrets letting go of Wei, realizing his time with her was the only time he was himself, thus he also wants to rekindle their relationship. However, Wei on their first meeting firmly rejects Xiaocheng. Not long afterward, Ruan Guan is killed in a car accident when trying to meet her university boyfriend for one last time before she is getting married to another man. Wei, in grief, asks Lin Jing to marry her. However, she later calls it off when Lin Jing tells Wei about another girl that loved him during their time apart. Afterwards, Xiaocheng and Wei meet once more at the aquarium to reminisce. There Xiaozheng asks Wei, "Can I start over, and love you again?" to which Wei replies, "Xiaozheng, we spent our youth together, we owe each other nothing... youth is something you can only relive in memory."

Cast

• Yang Zishan as Zheng Wei
• Mark Chao as Chen Xiaozheng
• Han Geng as Lin Jing
• Jiang Shuying as Ruan Guan
• Bao Bei'er as Zhang
• Zheng Kai as Xu Kaiyang
• Zhang Yao as Li Weijuan
• Tong Liya as Shi Jie
• Liu Yase as Zhu Xiaobei
• Wang Jiajia as Zeng Shu
• Huang Ming as Zhao Shiyong
• Pan Hong as Chen's mother
• Yang Lan as Yang Lan
• Han Hong as DJ Zi Juan
• Wang Sen as Wang Yaming

Casting

Xin Yiwu, author of the novel, has mentioned that Zhao Wei was actually her choice to play the lead character of "Zheng Wei". However, Zhao declined the offer, and opted to direct the film.^[3]

Besides Mark Chao and Han Geng, a majority of the cast are newcomers, including Yang Zishan, who played the story's protagonist Zheng Wei.^[4] Zhao stated, "They're very green and new. Sometimes they even lack common sense. But I like working with them because they're down-to-earth...What they lack in experience, they replace with enthusiasm."^[5]

Production

For this film, Zhao Wei intended to take the story in a panorama view to the life of college students in the 1990s, "not just a love triangle", "I'd like to devote this film to everyone out there who had a similar youth... It’s a memory shared by those who were born on the Chinese Mainland between the 1970s and early 80s."^[6] Zhao also bought the rights to Suede's song for the film.^[7]

Production on the film started from March 3 and ended on June 22, 2012.^[8][9]

Soundtrack

• Theme song: "To Youth" (致青春)^[10]
  • Composer: Dou Peng
  • Lyricist: Li Qiang
  • Performer: Faye Wong

Reception

References

External links

• Official Micro-blog
• So Young on IMDb