Duckweed

Within the flood of recent Chinese films about father-son reconciliation, Duckweed is the most playful, powered by the easy charm of two of China’s most in-demand stars. After a reckless encounter with a fast-moving train in 2022, arrogant rally driver Tailang (Deng Chao, the one-man environmental hazard from Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid) is transported back to 1998, and enlisted into the gang led by his own father Zhengtai (Eddie Peng, taking a break from the gym to show his comedic chops). An existential crisis hits when Tailang realizes that future mother is not yet on the scene, even though she must get pregnant soon before his father is imprisoned for six years. Highlights of their familial bonding include a farcical bedroom seduction scene. Han Han’s follow-up to his poetic The Continent accelerated past the billion yuan ($150 million) milestone domestically and boasts a rare 100% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Co-presented with Confucius Institute Headquarters and China Institute