Successor

I was unexpectedly invited by my wife to see the latest Chinese comedy, and I settled in for what turned out to be quite a lengthy experience!

Ma Chenggang, the master of self-deprecating humor, presents The Truman Show-Chinese style! It seems he and directors Da-Mo Peng and Fei Yan anticipated that we would check our brains at the door and accept a child-abuse as funny. The notion of "It's just a comedy, so don't take it too seriously" falls flat when an audience grappling with life's hardships seeks a brief escape from their burdens for two hours. The film showcases a fair amount of creative shortcomings, yet sadly, viewers seem more captivated by the 4K visuals than by any meaningful narrative structure. The story revolves around two hours of parents deceiving while raising their child in a Monitored Open Prison, culminating in a rather clichéd ending centered on the father's love and duty. When all critique and introspection are suppressed, and the idea that "wealth equates to paternal worth" permeates the film, we must ponder how to confront our realities once we leave the theater.

One striking element is the alarming nature of Chinese-style education, where parents feel compelled to impose rigorous training on their children to mold them into achievers. The philosophy of "Only through hardship can one become a master" has already claimed too many victims. What about those who are less fortunate? Is it realistic to expect everyone to thrive as predators in a competitive society? Can you truly ensure that you won't be the prey?

The portrayal of the mother is reduced to little more than a womb, lacking any significant influence on the storyline. Li Ma's performance as Chunlan was stylish, yet her character had no impact on the plot's progression. Ultimately, this film feels like a commercial comedy creation with no real social message value.

Education is always a hot topic to talk about in China, and Successor is produced to satirize those parents who crazily want their children to be elite. The purpose of the film wasn't bad, but the plot merely seems to be a mix of good films such as The Truman Show and Hindi Medium. What's more, the act and the scene aren't outstanding. There indeed occurs some funny plot, but that's not special at all. Another drawback is the bad ending. The director doesn't explore the deep emotion of Ma Jiye when he knows the truth that he was cheated by his parents for 18 years, and thus makes it hard for the audience to get what the director want to express. In conclusion, Successor is a quite normal movie but it succeed in China's ticket house thanks to the lack of good film in Chinese market.

I went in only expecting some mild humor, but I got a hilarious, dramatic, emotional, and thought-provoking movie. The English subtitles and humor translate over well to a western audience. The actor Teng Shen does a great job playing the father, pulling off a wide range of emotions with charisma.

Some cultural context:

* College entrance exams are a HUGE thing in China

* Jack Ma is a famous billionaire

* Education and Filial piety are also important in China. Strict parenting is more common in China than in the US.

(Don't form stereotypes based on the above, please. They are generalizations)

Passable as a skit, but fails as a proper story. The premise is something I fantasized about in second grade - so cringe-inducing I can barely stand to read it, let alone watch it adapted into film. This movie exists in the worst limbo: neither authentic nor absurdist enough, neither riotous nor profound. At the very least, it should have articulated its core message clearly like Hello Mr. Billionaire did. Instead, audiences will chuckle mindlessly and forget everything afterward. Such wasted potential - it could have delivered a poignant truth: that parenting, whether too lax or too strict, inevitably becomes mutual destruction.

Successor is a hilarious comedy, that also touches a deeper subject: the high pressure environment that Chinese parents often raise their kids in.

As a comedy, the energetic cast works well together and the best jokes are quick and subtle. A lot of jokes are related to the use of Chinese language, so some of it may be lost in translation.

Thematically, the movie critizes the insane focus that Chinese society has on doing well in school, and most importantly, getting into a good university by doing well in the final school exams ("Gao Kao").

The movie reflects all of this smartly. With unlimited means, the parents find ways to get Ma Ziye into "natural" English learning situations, and this turns dark when they start using those means to drive him away from, a girl, and from sports, and eventually from his fake grandma.

All in all very enjoyable, clever, and funny.