Director Cao Baoping, best known for his gritty crime films, premiered his latest work One Wacky Summer at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival. This marks a shift for Cao as he ventures into black comedy while highlighting the rarely heard Tianjin dialect on screen.
“This film is very different from what I’ve done before,” Cao said at a press conference during the festival. “It’s a black comedy with crime elements. I hadn’t made a film in two or three years, and I wanted to create something lighter and more fun.”
One Wacky Summer stars Guo Qilin, who teams up with Cao again after their earlier collaboration on the series Escape from the Trilateral Slopes. The film also features Qi Xi, Sun Anke, and child actor Hu Langquan. Cao describes the movie as having a strong Tianjin flavor.
“I’ve always loved the Tianjin dialect and Tianjin kuaiban (a style of rapid storytelling),” Cao explained. “It’s surprising that so few stories from this region have been filmed. People from Tianjin have a special humor — they can find joy even during hard times.”
For Guo Qilin, who grew up in Tianjin, the project offered a chance to celebrate his hometown. “I hope more people can see Tianjin’s customs and culture through this film,” he said. Guo added that filming took him to places he had never visited before, like the Dagang oil fields and the salt factories in Lutai.
“When the director asked me for local restaurant recommendations during our first group dinner, I had to admit I didn’t know that area of Tianjin at all,” Guo said. “Even my mother, who has lived in Tianjin for more than 60 years, had never been there.”
For actors from other regions, mastering the Tianjin dialect was not easy. Sun Anke, who is from Northeast China, called it the hardest regional accent she has tried. “If you’re not careful, you might slip into a Hebei, Northeast, Henan, or Shandong accent,” she said.
Qi Xi spoke about the positive atmosphere on set. “Working with director Cao is a lucky and comfortable experience,” she said. “He’s like a big kid during filming, and I feel free to be myself.”
Hu Langquan, making his film debut, described the story as “very funny.” He said the characters reflect the real personality and way of speaking of people from Tianjin.
Cao said the film’s style uses exaggerated performances, which gives it a more theatrical feel than realism. “We wanted the acting to be a little over-the-top so that it would be more fun and interesting,” he explained.
He also noted that Tianjin’s reputation for having one of the lowest depression rates among Chinese cities makes it a great setting for comedy. “People in Tianjin are good at finding humor, even in tough times,” he said.
One Wacky Summer continues Cao’s interest in regional stories, following his earlier films set in Southwest China. The film is one of 12 entries in the festival’s main competition, 11 of which are world premieres.
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