The Summer Is Gone

The Summer is Gone
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese八月
Hanyu Pinyinbāyuè
Jyutpingbaat3 jyut6
Directed byZhang Dalei
Written byZhang Dalei
Produced byMai Lisi
Zhao Yanming
Suo Yiluo
StarringKong Weiyi
Zhang Chen
Guo Yanyun
CinematographyLv Songye
Edited byZhang Dalei
Release dates
  • 23 July 2016 (2016-07-23)
  • 24 March 2017 (2017-03-24) (China)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryChina
LanguageMandarin

The Summer is Gone is a 2016 Chinese drama film written and directed by Zhang Dalei. At the 2016 Golden Horse Awards the film won 3 awards for Best Feature Film, Best New Performer and the FIPRESCI Prize.[1] It is scheduled for release in China on 24 March 2017.[2] The film won the Grand Prix award at the 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival.

Plot

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In the early 1990s, in a small western town, Zhang Xiaolei, who had just finished his entrance exam for junior high school, finally welcomed the long-awaited summer vacation without homework. However, this free and hot summer was not as lively as imagined. Instead, it was filled with repetitive family life and plenty of free time. Coincidentally, that year, the country began to implement the transformation of state-owned enterprises, breaking the iron rice bowl. Zhang Xiaolei's father's unit was also impacted by the reform, affecting the lives of every family in their residential compound.

Children were bored all day long, while seemingly calm adults' hearts were as hot as the scorching sun due to the changes. Zhang Xiaolei quietly endured, sensing the subtle changes happening around him. It wasn't until his father, in pursuit of a better life, left for a distant place, leaving only his mother and him behind, that Zhang Xiaolei truly felt the passage of time and the transformation of life.

On the night of the beginning of autumn, the night-blooming cereus in Zhang Xiaolei's yard quietly bloomed, as if implying something....[3]

Cast

[edit]
  • Kong Weiyi as Zhang Xiaolei
  • Zhang Chen as Dad
  • Guo Yanyuan as Mom

Awards and nominations

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Award ceremony Category Recipients Result
53rd Golden Horse Awards Best Feature Film The Summer Is Gone Won
Best New Director Zhang Dalei Nominated
Best New Performer Kong Weiyi Won
Best Original Screenplay Zhang Dalei Nominated
Best Cinematography Songye Lü Nominated
Best Sound Effects Chen Xu

Xiaodan Li

Qiuhui Gao

Dong Ren

Nominated
17th Chinese Film Media Awards[4] Best Director Zhang Dalei Nominated
Best New Director Nominated
24th Beijing College Student Film Festival Best Film The Summer Is Gone Nominated
Jury Award Zhang Dalei Won
Best Director Nominated
Best Newcomer Kong Weiyi Nominated
Artistic Exploration Award The Summer Is Gone Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "The Summer Is Gone". IMDb. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  2. ^ "八月 (2016)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com. Retrieved 10 February 2017.
  3. ^ "'The Summer Is Gone' ('Ba Yue'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. ^ "第17届华语电影传媒盛典公布提名名单". Mtime (in Chinese). August 29, 2017.
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