A low-budget domestic film “A Cool Fish” has recently appeared as a dark horse among the fierce competition in China's film market.
The film opened to little affair, making 161 million yuan (23.17 million U.S. dollars) in its first week. However, on Thursday, it exceeded the U.S. blockbuster “Venom” to grab the single-day box-office champion.
The film has also received 8.3 points on China's Douban.com, a site that resembles Rotten Tomatoes, much higher than the 7.3 points for “Venom” and 7.2 points for “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” both of which enjoy large fan bases in China.
A poster of the film "A Cool Fish." /VCG Photo
The film tells the struggles, embarrassments and moments of desperation of several nobodies living in a small city in China. Director Rao Xiaozhi said the film is about the dignity of the nobodies.
“They were all at the bottom of the valley. But even when they become 'cool fish,' they never give up struggling and fighting against misery,” said Rao.
The movie depicts three interwoven storylines.
Ma Xianyong, played by actor Chen Jianbin is a former policeman who was ousted for drunk driving. His sister, Ma Jiaqi, starring Ren Suxi, is left paralyzed after a car accident caused by her brother's drunk driving. She struggles with suicide and defending her dignity. Two gangsters starring Zhang Yu and Pan Binlong, try to change their lives by robbing a cellphone store, but only end up making themselves even more miserable.
A poster of the film "A Cool Fish." /VCG Photo
The film is an absurd comedy, full of black humor. But many walked out of the cinema with their eyes red and swollen from crying.
“Every funny clown-like nobody has their hidden happiness and sadness, as well as their persistence,” reads a comment on Douban.com.
Some said the film is also about coming to terms with their identities.
A poster of the film "A Cool Fish." /VCG Photo
“When the gangster finally admitted that he is not the Big Bro, and that he is stupid and a coward, he has become his own hero,” a viewer wrote in his Douban comment.
For Rao, the cash is not the most important thing. He said it is still hard for the film to actually compete with Hollywood blockbusters, but as long as the audience loves it, he considers it meaningful.