The Summer Is Gone Explained

The Summer is Gone
Native Name:
Child:yes
Hide:no
Header:none
T:八月
P:bāyuè
J:baat3 jyut6
Director:Zhang Dalei
Producer:Mai Lisi
Zhao Yanming
Suo Yiluo
Starring:Kong Weiyi
Zhang Chen
Guo Yanyun
Cinematography:Lv Songye
Editing:Zhang Dalei
Runtime:106 minutes
Country:China
Language:Mandarin

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

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

Awards and nominations

Award ceremonyCategoryRecipientsResult
53rd Golden Horse AwardsBest Feature FilmThe Summer Is Gone
Best New DirectorZhang Dalei
Best New PerformerKong Weiyi
Best Original ScreenplayZhang Dalei
Best CinematographySongye Lü
Best Sound EffectsChen XuXiaodan Li

Qiuhui Gao

Dong Ren

17th Chinese Film Media Awards[4] Best Director Zhang Dalei
Best New Director
Best Film The Summer Is Gone
Jury Award Zhang Dalei
Best Director
Best Newcomer Kong Weiyi
Artistic Exploration Award The Summer Is Gone

Notes and References

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