‘Dear You’ is China’s surprise film hit of the year. It tells a story of the struggles and sacrifices of overseas Chinese and their families back home. This review by Keith Bennett published by Friends of Socialist China finds the film to be "a vivid depiction of the patriotism, solidarity, loyalty, tenacity and sacrifice of the overseas Chinese".

‘Dear You’, which was released in the UK and Ireland on June 26 by Trinity CineAsia, is China’s surprise film hit of the year. It was produced on a low budget of just over $2 million, featuring mostly amateur actors rather than big stars, filmed in a local dialect, and without the glitzy or dramatic special effects that increasingly characterise films produced in China as well as the West.

Going on nationwide release in China on April 30, in time for the May Day holiday, it rapidly became the country’s second highest grossing film of 2026, with box office receipts soon approaching the equivalent of $250 million.

Distribution rights for Dear You are held by Trinity CineAsia for the UK, Ireland and France.

 

Text of Keith Bennett’s review

  Item on Friends of Socialist China website.