Lighting Up the Stars () is a 2022 Chinese drama film written and directed by Liu Jiangjiang, starring Zhu Yilong and Yang Enyou. The film follows the story of a mortician released from prison who meets an orphan during a funeral, which unexpectedly changes his attitude towards career and life.
The film premiered in China on 24 June 2022. The total box office of the film is 1.712 billion yuan, ranking the 4th in China's 2022 box office list.
Plot Mortician Mo Sanmei (played by Zhu Yilong) meets orphan Wu Xiaowen (played by Yang Enyou) during a funeral shortly after his release from prison. With reluctance, Mo takes care of Xiaowen and this decision burdens Mo further on top of his existing life problems. After a series of mishaps, this unlikely father-daughter pair develops a special relationship, and it changes how Mo views his job as a mortician and life.
Cast Zhu Yilong as Mo Sanmei, a mortician. Yang Enyou as Wu Xiaowen, an orphan. Wang Ge as Wang Jianren, a mortician and assistant to Mo Sanmei. Liu Lu as Yin Baixue, a mortician who plays the suona. as Old Mo, Mo Sanmei's father. as Madam Mo, Mo Sanmei's elder sister. Janice Wu as Xi Xi, Mo Sanmei's ex-girlfriend. as Uncle Wu, Wu Xiaowen's uncle. as Wu Haifei, Wu Xiaowen's mother. Zhou Dan as Aunt, Wu Xiaowen's aunt. Wang Aizhi as Grandmother, Wu Xiaowen's maternal grandmother.
Soundtrack
Production Liu Jiangjiang began to write the screenplay in 2019, which was inspired by the funeral culture in north China. read Liu Jiangjiang's drafts and gave notes for improvement.
Lighting Up the Stars began production on 27 May 2021, in Wuhan and finished filming on 1 August.
Release Lighting Up the Stars was slated for release on 2 April 2022 (Qingming Festival), but was postponed to 24 June 2022.
Theatrical and box office +Release dateCountryTheatrical engagementsTotal box office2022-06-24Mainland China529,022$253,770,0002022-08-04Australia44$42,1912022-08-04New Zealand12$6,8772022-08-05CanadaLimited2022-08-05United StatesLimited
Streaming and viewership +Release dateStreaming serviceAvailable areaViewership2022-08-26IQIYI, Tencent Video, Youku, Mango TV, Xigua VideoMainland China2022-09-24NetflixHong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, VietnamWEEKS IN TOP 10: 3 weeks in Hong Kong, 1 week in Malaysia, 1 week in Singapore, 6 weeks in Taiwan, 1 week in Thailand, 3 weeks in Vietnam.
Reception Douban, a major Chinese media rating site, gave the drama 7.3 out of 10.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Golden Rooster Awards November 13, 2022 Best Picture Lighting Up the Stars Best Directorial Debut Liu Jiangjiang Best Actor Zhu Yilong Best Actress Yang Enyou Best Cinematography Zhao Yuqing Best Sound Recording Wang Gang/ Liu Xiaosha Best Editing Zhu Lin/ Wei Yong/ Gaoqiong Jiali Asian Film AwardsMarch 12, 2023Best NewcomerYang EnyouBest ScreenplayLiu Jiangjiang, Yu MinBest EditingZhu Lin, Wei Yong, Gao Qiongjiali
References
External links