Film Name: 我才不要和你做朋友呢电影版 / Be My Friend
In May this year, the most surprising youth-themed web drama was undoubtedly 《Be My Friend》!
Although it is a small and medium cost net drama, it has far exceeded everyone’s expectations in both word of mouth and ratings, and with a Douban rating of 8.2, it has become the biggest dark horse among youth-themed dramas.
In a market full of Mary Sue and sweet favourites, this drama has managed to capture the attention of viewers who clicked in with its delicate group portrayal, realistic northeastern atmosphere, and intertwining of family and love. The story is about Li Progress, a rebellious girl who cannot understand her mother Li Qingtong, suddenly travelling to the Northeast 20 years ago, meeting Li Qingtong as a teenager, experiencing joyful, sweet and bitter youthful moments with her young mother as a friend, and finally returning to the reality, where Li Progress appreciates her mother’s bravery and resilience, and the two of them reach a reconciliation.
Each character in this story has a distinct personality.
Maverick’s daughter, Li Progress, is a rebellious, domineering, cool and handsome girl, full of teenage feeling, who dares to love and hate, emotionally pure, warm, sensitive and powerful.
At the first meeting, she dares to kick the school bully directly in the face for “abandoning his wife and son”, and in the final scene when she says goodbye to Duan Xiao, the strong emotion that comes out of her tears the audience’s heart.
Li Qingtong is not like a mother in the traditional sense of the word, and when she first appeared on the scene, the embarrassment of pretending to be highly educated at a parent-teacher conference was revealed, and when she was a teenager, she was more like a daughter who needed to be taken care of in her dealings with Li Progress.
However, she is righteous and brave, and knows how to tolerate sacrifices. She hits her own face with a shoe for Li Progress, and insists on leaving Li Progress, who was born by “accident”, behind.
Her “silly white sweet” is not disgusting, on the contrary, it is loveable, she does not have the traditional female lead in the drama of the golden finger, purely rely on hard work.
The sunny and devoted “loyal dog” Duan Xiao, who is the perfect lover in the hearts of all girls, is a little overbearing and is only devoted to Li Progress.
He said “Li progress sooner or later I want to fall in love with you”, ask which girl will not be moved?
The righteousness and kindness of the “little wolf dog” school bully Chen Jun He is a look a little fierce, but inside is warm and pure, in the face of the brother of the life and death of the occasion, gave up the confession to show his righteousness, which is his heroic parents reached his soul.
Decades as one day to guard in Li Qingtong side of the persistence, he can for her to enroll in her university, for her as a receiver, for her to give up the perfect job, the school bully’s love is passionate, is pure.
Schoolboy Oh Ji Hoon is a heartbreaking big boy, his family of origin creates his character to be stoic and introverted, and his love for her is gentle and delicate.
He wrote a note specifically for her, and broke his own rules for her time and time again. Some people say that Wu Ji Hoon’s image collapsed at the end of this drama, but I feel that his separation from Li Qing Tong is inevitable, and he is destined to be the one who can’t be kept by Li Qing Tong as he has his parent’s expectations of him pressed on his shoulders, as well as the fact that he has always wanted to prove himself.
There are also funny and amusing eight eggs, warm hearted and humorous class teacher, cute and righteous Fan fat, etc. Each character’s image is full, the interaction between the characters, so that the audience feel that they are also people in the drama, with them together with the joy and sadness.
One of the most distinctive features of this drama is that it truly reproduces the life of young people in the Northeast in the 1990s, and every “detail” gives people a sense of intimacy.
For example, in the first episode, Li Progress, who has just travelled to the Northeast, passes by a wall on the side of the street that reads “Tieyuan is my home, civilisation depends on all of us”, which instantly transports the audience to the Northeast 20 years ago.
The constant appearance of military coats, Jianlibao and other items that are characteristic of the era allows the audience to become more immersed in the environment created by the episode.
What makes it different from other youth dramas is that for the first time, it focuses on the intergenerational communication problems between mothers and daughters, using a comedic approach that allows Li Progress, who is a daughter, to experience her youth with her mother, Li Qingtong, as a friend and to resolve the conflicts.
The friend in “Be My Friend” is not between a man and a woman, but between a mother and a daughter, which raises the theme of the entire drama to a higher level.
At the same time, the show engages the audience with the question, “Who is Lee Progress’s real father?” The drama drives the viewers to participate by creating the question “Who is Lee Progress’s real father?”. Although it is not a blockbuster drama, its innovative content and theme make it worth watching as an entertaining web series in your spare time.
General Review:
《Be My Friend》is a youthful comedy film co-produced by Wanda Film & Media Ltd. and others, directed by He Nian and starring Zhuang Dafei, Chen Hoyu and Wang Hao. The film tells the story of Li Progress, a high school student who goes back to 20 years ago overnight, meets her 18-year-old mother Li Qingtong, and the two become friends who walk through the sweet and bitter youthful era together, and finally reconcile mother and daughter in reality.
With its unique setting of travelling back in time and the theme of teenage growth, this film accomplishes the task of intergenerational reconciliation, showing a balance between a sense of fantasy and reality. The film has successfully captured the audience’s attention through its subtle group portrayal, authentic northeastern ambience and intertwining of family and love. Each character has a distinct personality, such as the maverick daughter Li Progress, the big-hearted Li Qingtong, and the sunny and devoted “loyal dog” Duan Xiao, etc. Their stories are full of joy, sweetness, and bitterness, and ultimately lead to the reconciliation between mother and daughter.
Most of the main actors are newcomers, but their acting skills are on the line, the plot is okay, and many details are close to reality, which makes the audience resonate with them. The film focuses on comedic elements, which are interesting and fun, and through the setting of crossing over, it makes the audience think about the meaning of life and affection while laughing.
Overall, 《Be My Friend》 is a film that successfully combines sci-fi with youthful growth, showing the story of intergenerational reconciliation through the setting of crossing over and the theme of teenage growth. With distinctive characters and a tight plot with both laughs and tears, the film is a youth comedy film worth watching.
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