Lighting Up the Stars
| Lighting Up The Stars | ||
|---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin | rénshēng dàshì | |
| Directed by | Liu Jiangjiang | |
| Screenplay by | Liu Jiangjiang | |
| Produced by | Han Yan | |
| Starring |
| |
| Cinematography | Zhao Yuqing | |
| Edited by |
| |
Production companies |
| |
| Distributed by | China Film Co., Ltd. | |
Release date |
| |
Running time | 112 minutes | |
| Country | China | |
| Language | Mandarin | |
| Budget | $8 million (including marketing and promotion) | |
| Box office | $253.8 million[1][2] | |
Lighting Up the Stars (
mortician released from prison who meets an orphan during a funeral, which unexpectedly changes his attitude towards career and life.[3]
The film premiered in China on 24 June 2022. The total box office of the film is 1.712 billion yuan, ranking the 4th in China's 2022 box office list.[4]
Plot
Mortician Mo Sanmei (played by Zhu Yilong) meets orphan Wu Xiaowen (played by Yang Enyou) during a funeral shortly after his release from prison. With reluctance, Mo takes care of Xiaowen and this decision burdens Mo further on top of his existing life problems. After a series of mishaps, this unlikely father-daughter pair develops a special relationship, and it changes how Mo views his job as a mortician and life.
Cast
- Zhu Yilong as Mo Sanmei, a mortician.
- Yang Enyou as Wu Xiaowen, an orphan.
- Wang Ge as Wang Jianren, a mortician and assistant to Mo Sanmei.
- Liu Lu as Yin Baixue, a mortician who plays the suona.
- Luo Jingmin as Old Mo, Mo Sanmei's father.
- Zheng Weili as Madam Mo, Mo Sanmei's elder sister.
- Janice Wu as Xi Xi, Mo Sanmei's ex-girlfriend.
- Chen Chuang as Uncle Wu, Wu Xiaowen's uncle.
- Li Chunyuan as Wu Haifei, Wu Xiaowen's mother.
- Zhou Dan as Aunt, Wu Xiaowen's aunt.
- Wang Aizhi as Grandmother, Wu Xiaowen's maternal grandmother.
Soundtrack
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lighting Up the Stars (人生大事)" (Opening theme) | Zhao Zhao | Zhao Zhao | Zhao Zhao | |
| 2. | "People Who Grow Stars (种星星的人)" (Ending theme) | Li Shutong | John Pond Ordway | Zhu Yilong/ Yang Enyou | |
| 3. | "Search for Child Year after year (寻儿记一年复年)" (Interlude) | Zhang Qiaozhen | |||
| 4. | "A Happy Event in the World (人间喜事)" (Interlude) | Xia Xiaozhi | Wang Nana | Xia Xiaozhi | |
| 5. | "Go to Heaven (上天堂)" (Interlude) | Liang Long | Liang Long | Second Hand Rose |
Production
Liu Jiangjiang began to write the screenplay in 2019, which was inspired by the funeral culture in north China.[5] Han Yan (director) read Liu Jiangjiang's drafts and gave notes for improvement.[6]
Lighting Up the Stars began production on 27 May 2021, in Wuhan and finished filming on 1 August.
Release
Lighting Up the Stars was slated for release on 2 April 2022 (Qingming Festival), but was postponed to 24 June 2022.[7]
Theatrical and Box Office
| Release Date | Country | Theatrical Engagements | Total Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-06-24 | Mainland China | 529,022 | $253,770,000[1] |
| 2022-08-04 | Australia | 44 | $42,191[2] |
| 2022-08-04 | New Zealand | 12 | $6,877[2] |
| 2022-08-05 | Canada | Limited | |
| 2022-08-05 | United States | Limited |
Streaming and viewership
| Release Date | Streaming service | Available Area | Viewership |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-08-26 | IQIYI, Tencent Video, Youku, Mango TV, Xigua Video | Mainland China | |
| 2022-09-24 | Netflix | Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam[8] | WEEKS IN TOP 10: 3 weeks in Hong Kong, 1 week in Malaysia, 1 week in Singapore, 6 weeks in Taiwan, 1 week in Thailand, 3 weeks in Vietnam.[9] |
Reception
Douban, a major Chinese media rating site, gave the drama 7.3 out of 10.[10]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Rooster Awards | November 13, 2022 | Best Picture | Lighting Up the Stars | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Directorial Debut | Liu Jiangjiang | Won | [11] | ||
| Best Actor | Zhu Yilong | Won | [11] | ||
| Best Actress | Yang Enyou | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Best Cinematography | Zhao Yuqing | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Best Sound Recording | Wang Gang/ Liu Xiaosha | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Best Editing | Zhu Lin/ Wei Yong/ Gaoqiong Jiali | Nominated | [11] | ||
| Asian Film Awards | March 12, 2023 | Best Newcomer | Yang Enyou | Nominated | [12][13] |
| Best Screenplay | Liu Jiangjiang, Yu Min | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Zhu Lin, Wei Yong, Gao Qiongjiali | Nominated |
References
- ^ a b "LIGHTING UP THE STARS (人生大事) – Financial Information China". The Numbers. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Ren sheng da shi (人生大事) (2022) – Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ 电影《人生大事》上映第24天票房破14亿. sina (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ 朱一龙主演《人生大事》上映56天票房累计破17亿 观影人次达4223.7万_娱乐_专业版_刘江江. sohu (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ 《人生大事》票房近3亿，朱一龙让观众笑泪并存. m.yicai.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ 电影《人生大事》发布创作特辑 监制韩延分享幕后故事真诚期许. k.sina.cn (in Chinese). 23 June 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ 《人生大事》：无牵挂地告别，有牵挂地活着. xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 19 July 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ "Netflix Global Search on uNoGS". unogs.com. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
- ^ "Netflix Weekly Top10 of All Countries". Netflix Weekly Top10 of All Countries.
- ^ 人生大事 (2022). douban.com (in Chinese). 2022. Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Xu Lengyi (徐崚怡) (1 November 2022). 第35届中国电影金鸡奖公布提名，《长津湖》入围8项. thepaper (in Chinese). Retrieved 14 November 2022.
- ^ Ntim, Zac (6 January 2023). "Asian Film Awards: 'Decision to Leave' And 'Drive My Car' Lead Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
- ^ Shackleton, Liz (13 March 2023). "'Drive My Car' Wins Best Feature At Asian Film Awards; Tony Leung Takes Best Actor, Asian Contribution Award". Deadline. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
External links
- Lighting Up the Stars at IMDb
- Lighting Up the Stars at Douban (in Chinese)
