“Dear You” Is Latest Chinese Film Sensation

After sparking a nationwide moviegoing craze in Mainland China and surpassing RMB 1.5 billion at the box office, the acclaimed hit Dear You <給阿嬤的情書> has officially unveiled its Hong Kong poster and is set to open in cinemas across Hong Kong on June 18.

Casting Unknown Faces for the Film

Directed by rising filmmaker Lan Hongchun (藍鴻春), the film has become one of the year’s biggest sleeper hits, winning audiences over with its deeply sincere story and emotional power.

A key part of the film’s success lies in the director’s insistence on authenticity. As the entire film is performed in Teochew dialect, Lan was determined to cast people who could speak the language naturally and fluently. Rather than relying on familiar commercial-film faces, he chose non-professional actors Li Sitong (李思潼) and Wang Yantong (王彥桐) for the leading roles, believing that real, local faces would bring the story closer to life.

Lan explained that because this was meant to be a truly Teochew film, the dialect had to be completely authentic. After auditioning many people, the team ultimately returned to the most natural choice: casting those who were born and raised in the Chaoshan region. The film also features well-known local Chaoshan comedy veterans such as Zhao Shuguang (趙曙光) and Li Shuhao (李樹浩), whose performances add warmth and freshness to the screen.

Synopsis

The story follows Ye Shurou, an elderly grandmother in Chaoshan, who has lived a quiet life in her later years. Her grandson Xiaowei, burdened by debt, secretly travels to Thailand in search of his supposedly wealthy grandfather, Zheng Musheng. But he returns with a shocking discovery: his grandfather has long passed away, and the person who has been exchanging love letters with his grandmother all these years is actually a stranger.

As Xiaowei investigates further, a love story hidden for half a century slowly comes to light, touching his grandmother’s heart and uncovering memories shaped by separation, sacrifice and longing.

Beyond its moving performances, the film also reflects the painful history of older generations of Chinese migrants who left for Southeast Asia in search of work. It portrays the hardship and resilience of overseas Chinese laborers, as well as the quiet strength of Chaoshan women who remained at home to hold their families together.

With its local dialect, non-professional cast and grounded emotional texture, Dear You feels organic, intimate and lived-in — qualities that have helped turn it from a modest regional story into a nationwide cinematic phenomenon.

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