Liu Jian’s animated Have a Nice Day was one of the hottest movies that screened at the recent 2017 Berlinale. Influenced by the Coen brothers, Quentin Tarantino, and Wong Kar-wai, the cynical Chinese crime drama has apparently got everything it takes to become a cult hit.
Set in a grim and seedy city in Southern China, Have a Nice Day follows a succession of crooks chasing a case containing a million yuan (about US$150,000). Xiao Zhang (voiced by Zhu Changlong), who wants to finance his fiancée’s corrective plastic surgery in Korea, absconds with the loot when he’s moonlighting as a delivery driver for the ruthless mob boss Uncle Liu (Yang Shiming). A bad move you’d think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbfzSExle8k
In a scene that should remind Tarantino-spotters of the Christopher Walken—Dennis Hopper “interview” in True Romance (1993), Liu learns about Zhang’s theft when he’s torturing an old buddy. He sends a butcher-assassin after Zhang, though a punk inventor and his girlfriend have already seized the dough. The girl wants to spend it at a resort called Shangri-La, which allows director Liu Jian to visualize her pop-fed materialistic fantasy.
Liu Jian’s spare, drably colored 2D animation style highlights the urban squalor of the world in which these lowlifes move, and which prompts them to tie their dreams to an ill-gotten fortune.
Supposedly a Tarantino-like post-modern pastiche, Liu Jian’s film cheekily makes references to Tolstoy and Goethe (via a Shanghai Restoration Project song on the soundtrack). It also quotes audio extracts from Donald Trump’s election night victory speech.
Capitalism and globalization are Liu Jian’s targets here. IndieWire’s Eric Kohn observes that Have a Nice Day shares some of “the dreaminess” of Wong Kar-wai’s films. But Kohn also suggests in his review that it’s a sociological allegory addressing “overarching feelings of aspiration and disgust with conditions of daily life in modern China, as well as a developing envy for the Western world”.
Allegory or not, Have a Nice Day‘s allure for most Western audiences will likely to be its traffic smashes, black humor, and, of course, its violence. Distribution deals for the film are yet to be announced.
Culture Trips launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes places and communities so special.
Our immersive trips, led by Local Insiders, are once-in-a-lifetime experiences and an invitation to travel the world with like-minded explorers. Our Travel Experts are on hand to help you make perfect memories. All our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.?>
All our travel guides are curated by the Culture Trip team working in tandem with local experts. From unique experiences to essential tips on how to make the most of your future travels, we’ve got you covered.
Culture Trip Spring Sale
Save up to $1,656 on our unique small-group trips! Limited spots.
