The Summer Is Gone

The Summer is Gone
Theatrical release poster
Traditional Chinese	八月
Hanyu Pinyin	bāyuè
Jyutping	baat3 jyut6
Directed by	Zhang Dalei
Written by	Zhang Dalei
Produced by	Mai Lisi Zhao Yanming Suo Yiluo
Starring	Kong Weiyi Zhang Chen Guo Yanyun
Cinematography	Lv Songye
Edited by	Zhang Dalei
Release dates	23 July 2016 (2016-07-23) 24 March 2017 (2017-03-24)(China)
Running time	106 minutes
Country	China
Language	Mandarin

The Summer is Gone is a 2016 Chinese drama film written and directed by Zhang Dalei. At the 2016 Golden Horse Awards the film won 3 awards for Best Feature Film, Best New Performer and the FIPRESCI Prize. ^[1] It is scheduled for release in China on 24 March 2017. ^[2] The film won the Grand Prix award at the 24th Beijing College Student Film Festival.

Plot

In the early 1990s, in a small western town, Zhang Xiaolei, who had just finished his entrance exam for junior high school, finally welcomed the long-awaited summer vacation without homework. However, this free and hot summer was not as lively as imagined. Instead, it was filled with repetitive family life and plenty of free time. Coincidentally, that year, the country began to implement the transformation of state-owned enterprises, breaking the iron rice bowl. Zhang Xiaolei's father's unit was also impacted by the reform, affecting the lives of every family in their residential compound.

Children were bored all day long, while seemingly calm adults' hearts were as hot as the scorching sun due to the changes. Zhang Xiaolei quietly endured, sensing the subtle changes happening around him. It wasn't until his father, in pursuit of a better life, left for a distant place, leaving only his mother and him behind, that Zhang Xiaolei truly felt the passage of time and the transformation of life.

On the night of the beginning of autumn, the night-blooming cereus in Zhang Xiaolei's yard quietly bloomed, as if implying something.... ^[3]

Cast

• Kong Weiyi as Zhang Xiaolei
• Zhang Chen as Dad
• Guo Yanyuan as Mom

Awards and nominations

Award ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result
53rd Golden Horse Awards	Best Feature Film	The Summer Is Gone	Won
	Best New Director	Zhang Dalei	Nominated
	Best New Performer	Kong Weiyi	Won
	Best Original Screenplay	Zhang Dalei	Nominated
	Best Cinematography	Songye Lü	Nominated
	Best Sound Effects	Chen Xu Xiaodan Li Qiuhui Gao Dong Ren	Nominated
17th Chinese Film Media Awards [4]	Best Director	Zhang Dalei	Nominated
	Best New Director		Nominated
24th Beijing College Student Film Festival	Best Film	The Summer Is Gone	Nominated
	Jury Award	Zhang Dalei	Won
	Best Director		Nominated
	Best Newcomer	Kong Weiyi	Nominated
	Artistic Exploration Award	The Summer Is Gone	Nominated

References

1. "The Summer Is Gone". IMDb . Retrieved 21 December 2016.
2. "八月 (2016)". movie.douban.com (in Chinese). douban.com . Retrieved 10 February 2017.
3. "'The Summer Is Gone' ('Ba Yue'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
4. "第17届华语电影传媒盛典公布提名名单". Mtime (in Chinese). August 29, 2017.

External links

• The Summer Is Gone at IMDb