Duckweed (乘风破浪) — the directorial debut of Han Han (韩寒), China’s most popular blogger, will hit Chinese theaters later this month on January 28, 2017.
In the West, Han Han has enjoyed some buzz thanks to extensive coverage in writer Evan Osnos’ New Yorker articles and National Book Award-winning novel Age of Ambition. While he first rose to fame through blogging, Han Han’s repertoire has since expanded to novels, music, startups, and even professional rally driving. Now, it appears that he’ll add filmmaking to that list with this film that features high-profile stars including Deng Chao, Eddie Peng, and Zhao Liying.
Few plot details about Duckweed have been released, but according to local media, Deng Chao plays a young racing car driver whose father (Eddie Peng) disapproves of his profession. Based on the characters’ attire and other clues in available promotional materials, Chinese netizens have theorized the film might involve time travel. This would be quite unique given that, in the past, the Chinese government has not exactly been a fan of time travel movies.