Underplayed Gems

Dear You (2026)

Dear You poster
Original title
给阿嬷的情书
Directed by
Lan Hongchun
Genre
drama film, comedy film, romantic comedy film, family drama
Country
People's Republic of China
Runtime
1h 58m
Rated
M
Rating
9.2 of 10 from 36 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A young man travels from China to Thailand to find his long-lost grandfather. He uncovers a decades-old secret involving a stranger instead.

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What happens

Dear You (simplified Chinese: 给阿嬷的情书; traditional Chinese: 給阿嬤的情書) is a 2026 Chinese family drama film directed and co-written by Lan Hongchun. It stars a largely non-professional cast featuring Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zheng Runqi and Wang Xiaohui, alongside Thai actress Usha Seamkhum. The film is primarily in Teochew, spoken in the Chaoshan region of eastern Guangdong. It also employs qiaopi, specifically the Teochew letters, as a narrative thread to tell the story of a young man who travels to Thailand to track down his long-lost grandfather, only to uncover a decades-old secret involving a stranger. Dear You premiered in Shantou on April 17, 2026. It was released by Damai Entertainment in select regions of China on April 30, followed by a nationwide theatrical release on May 3. Made on a modest budget of ¥14 million, the film became a massive sleeper hit, grossing over ¥1.9 billion at the domestic box office. The film's Mandarin release in Singapore raised some controversy and sparked a public and parliamentary discussion about the Speak Mandarin Campaign. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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