Keeping pet dogs has become more common among Chinese households but in densely populated city areas, how they get along with the people around them and other pets is for many an issue of concern. Screenwriter-turned-director Wu Nan is exploring this issue with her new movie "Push and Shove". Shen Li has more.

In the city, little dogs being hurt by big dogs has been a focus of the news with owners suing in court and demanding compensation. Director Wu Nan's upcoming movie "Push and Shove" offers a closer look at the problem. The story was inspired by one of her friends and lead actor Huang Lei. A little dog was badly hurt when it saved its owner from two Tibetan Mastiffs, but the owner of the aggressive party was reluctant to discuss compensation since there no people were injured. The police also felt their hands were tied on this matter. This family drama also reflects social problems like middle-aged crisis, the difficulties ordinary people face when pursuing lawsuits and how we can better provide pensions for elderly people.

WU NAN DIRECTOR, PUSH AND SHOVE "The dog bites dog event is just the beginning of a series of events, I want to dig deep into how we deal with and compromise with unfortunate events in our lives. We may get along with our lives just fine, but when something bad happens, everything just falls apart, and it's really difficult for ordinary people to face that."

The director says at first they were told that it's almost impossible to train Tibetan Mastiffs, let alone get them to perform in front of the camera, but fortunately, they got professionals like Andrew Simpson on board. He scouted for all of the dogs and trained them to perform, whether it's for health matters, being wounded or even dying. Andrew Simpson, best known for the remarkable work he did in "Wolf Totem", says the film's real animal performances generate genuine emotions among the audience, something CGI simply could not achieve.

"Push and Shove" will be released on Saturday.