Lost in Russia (Chinese: 囧妈; lit. 'awkward mother', Russian: Затерянные в России) is a 2020 Chinese comedy film co-written and directed by Xu Zheng, who also stars in the lead role.[1] The film can be considered the third in the "Lost in" series by Xu Zheng, following Lost in Thailand and Lost in Hong Kong, although all three films' plot and characters are unrelated, and Xu himself has not confirmed a connection between the three films.
| Lost in Russia | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Traditional Chinese | 囧媽 |
| Simplified Chinese | 囧妈 |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Jiǒng Mā |
| Directed by | Xu Zheng |
| Written by | He Keke Bululufu He Yiqiao Xu Zheng |
| Produced by | Liu Ruifang |
| Starring | Xu Zheng Huang Meiying Yuan Quan |
| Cinematography | Liu Yizeng |
| Edited by | Wang Yuan |
| Music by | Yang Jiang Zhao Nan |
Production companies | Huanxi Media Hg Entertainment Maoyan Sublime Media Joy Leader Culture Communication Co., Ltd. Mokexing Film Beijing Co., Ltd. |
| Distributed by | ByteDance |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
The film follows the story of an awkward journey to Russia of a manipulative mother and her middle-aged son who wanted to rebel and escape on the K3 train.[2] The film premiered in China digitally on January 25, 2020, during the Chinese New Year.
Cast
edit- Xu Zheng as Xu Ivan, the boss of "Nuanba". His first name, Ivan, comes from the 1962 Soviet war drama film Ivan's Childhood, which was a favorite film of his mother.
- Huang Meiying as Lu Xiaohua, Xu's mother.
- Yuan Quan as Zhang Lu, Xu's soon to be ex-wife.
- Jia Bing as conductor.
- Guo Jingfei as Guo Tie, Xu's assistant.
- Huang Jingyu as Da Long, Xu's driver (cameo).
- Godfrey Gao as Michael.
- Shen Teng as a passenger.
- Song Xiaobao
- Huang Bo as a billionaire (cameo).
- Olga Magnytskao as Natasha.
Production
editMost of the film was shot on location in Russia. Filming locations included Lake Baikal, Moscow, and Saint Petersburg.[3]
Release
editThe film was slated for release on January 24, 2020 in China but was withdrawn due to COVID-19 pandemic. ByteDance later acquired the distributed rights to the film in China for 630 million yuan,[4] one of the largest distribution fees ever paid for a Chinese comedy film. On January 25, 2020, the film was digitally released on ByteDance's platforms TikTok, Toutiao, Xigua for free.[5]
References
edit- ^ Patrick Brzeski (2020-01-23). "Chinese Comedy 'Lost in Russia' to Debut Online for Free After Coronavirus Cancellations (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ Zhang Rui (2020-01-19). "'Lost In Russia' focuses on Chinese-style mother-child relationship". china.org.cn. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ Liu Qiuxu (刘秋旭) (2020-01-09). 《囧妈》曝俄罗斯特辑 音乐制作联手世界级知名乐团. ifeng.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ "囧妈片方6.3亿与线上平台签合作 保底发行已终止". Sina Corp. 2020-01-24. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
- ^ Patrick Frater (2020-01-23). "China's 'Lost in Russia' Switches to Unprecedented Online Release in Response to Coronavirus Outbreak". Variety.
External links
edit- Lost in Russia at IMDb
- Lost in Russia at Douban (in Chinese)
- Lost in Russia (Review - English) on YouTube