Sunken Plum

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Sunken Plum (Original Chinese: 沉李; pinyin: Chen Li; literally: "sunken plum") is an upcoming Chinese and Spanish dramedy-mystery short film, with social realism elements ^[1] written and directed by Roberto F. Canuto and Xu Xiaoxi. Produced by Almost Red Productions in association with Arkadin Ed. and filmed in Sichuan, China in Autumn 2016.

It is the third part of the trilogy Invisible Chengdu (aka El Chengdu Invisible (Spanish)), a series of short films filmed in Sichuan (China) and using the local language of the region, the Sichuanese Mandarin. The trilogy reflects the underground scene of Chengdu. It includes also the films Floating Melon (2015) and Ni Jing: Thou Shalt Not Steal (2013) and narrates stories about characters that usually are segregated and that must survive in the shadows of the city, since the Chinese society is contrary to diversity and individuality.^[2]

Sunken Plum is scheduled to be released in film festivals summer, 2017.

Cast

• Gu Xiang (Sean) (Chinese: 顾翔) as Li Wanying/ Li Yong/ Mimi
• Celia Yu Yinmeng (Chinese: 余吟萌) as Wang Dan Dan
• Tian Peng (Shawn)(Chinese: 田鹏) as Guo Xiang
• Li Lie Rong (Chinese: 李烈蓉) as Mum
• Chen Jia Qi (Alice) (Chinese: 陈家琪) as Cui Xian^[3]
• Yao Zhe Xing (Chinese: 姚哲行) as Manager
• Zhang Zhijiu (Elvis) (Chinese: 张智久) as Kiki

Plot

A transgender woman, who works in a nightclub in Chengdu, receives an unexpectedly visit from her cousin, who tells her that her mother (whom she didn't sees for a long time) is deceased. As the only son, she feels obligated to return to her birthplace, but can not appear as a woman in front of her family.^[4]

Production

The production process of Sunken Plum took place between the middle of September until the 9th of October 2016 in Sichuan (China). The films was partially financed by a crowdfunding project and produced by Almost Red Productions (China) in association with Arkadin Ed (Spain).^[5]

Picture of Sunken Plum (Chen Li) with directors and main actors

The locations of the filming were the center of Chengdu, the lake “Bai Ta” and a village in the mountains of Sichuan, “Nan Bu”. The main problem, regarding locations, was to find a suitable village that allow the production team to shoot a scene related to funerals. The superstitions, specially related to dead, are very strong in the countryside of China. The village that was use, "Bai Ta", is located five hours from Chengdu city, in the mountains, and the team needed to drive dangerous roads to reach the remote place.^[6]

Sunken Plum is performed by non professional actors and some scenes required many extras. The main character is performed by the male actor Gu Xiang, that perform a complex character, “Li Wanying”, a transgender person with strong family conflicts.^[7]

Among the members of the crew it had usually collaborators of the directors, like the producer Leng Zhiwen and the director of photography Guo Yong, with whom they already collaborate in their previous Chinese short film, Floating Melon.

The music will be composed by the multi-awarded italy-american composer Andrea Centazzo, being Sunken Plum the seventh collaboration with the directors.^[8]

Director's Commentary and Release

The film is expected to be released in summer 2017

Picture of Sunken Plum (Chen Li) with director Roberto F. Canuto and actor Zhang Zhi.

This last part of the director's trilogy, that focus on the transgender community, pretends to grasp the life of this community in the Chinese society. In the words of the directors, We hope that with time things will start to change and these groups start to get the respect and rights that they deserve..^[9] In Sunken Plum they try to represents some of the many difficulties that have a transgender woman in China. If focuses in the family relationships and the different treatment they receive between the cities and the villages.^[10]

References