A songbird's quest

Sino-French production The Nightingale - the mainland's official entry to the 2015 Oscars - aims to break stereotypical images of China. Wang Kaihao reports.

While presenting the Sino-French production The Nightingale (Le Promeneur d'Oiseau) at a news conference in Beijing on Monday, French director Philippe Muyl was greeted by dozens of still and video cameras, which wasn't something he had perhaps expected.

Surprisingly chosen earlier this month to represent the Chinese mainland at next year's Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the small-budget movie will open to general screening in China on Oct 31.

The movie took four years to make, but Muyl says the exhausting work was worth the effort.

"It was worthwhile because I've gotten a new impression of China and Chinese families in such a rapidly changing society," says Muyl. He spent about two years interviewing different Chinese families to prepare for the movie.

"I made the film with all my heart. It is a gift to celebrate 50 years of diplomatic ties between China and France. Family-themed comedies always travel across the border and are always welcomed in any cultural background."

In the movie, the sharp contrast between Beijing's skyscrapers and China's picturesque countryside in the form of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region seem to best capture Muyl's understanding of China.

Muyl is best known for The Butterfly (Le Papillon), his comedy on a grandfather's relationship with his granddaughter that was made in 2002. Its music is widely popular with Chinese audiences, many of whom probably expect an equal classic this time.

With The Nightingale, Muyl has tried to infuse his personal style from The Butterfly into a Chinese backdrop.

Again, it is a story on family: a rough journey in Guangxi by a grandfather and his spoiled granddaughter. The child's workaholic parents are also reflective of the hidden crisis in modern Chinese families - lonely youngsters. The soundtrack is a combination of French art house music and melodies played on traditional Chinese musical instruments.

Using a plain narrative, simple dialogue and clear scenarios, the film looks like a fairy tale. When asked about the movie's chances at the 2015 Oscars, the crew and cast appear modest.

"It came as a total surprise to me when it was chosen to compete," says Ning Ning, the movie's Chinese producer. "We dare not expect it to get the award. But we tried our best in making the film, and the result relies on destiny."

She explains that because domestic family comedies are rare on China's big screens, making the movie made sense. "When I go to the cinemas with my children, I merely want something more than cartoons," Ning says, looking emotional, with her two daughters by her side.

"Of course, we want the film to be profitable," says Hao Bin, chairman of Smi Corporation, one of the movie's major investors. "However, we expect more of fine public praise."

The company's previous all-star biographic, The Golden Era, generated a lot of buzz but didn't make much money.

"Art house productions like The Golden Era and The Nightingale should represent another form of Chinese cinema's rising power," he adds.

According to Paul Delbecq, the film's French producer, after The Nightingale was screened in France in May, it earned more than $1.15 million at the country's box office, which isn't a bad number for a foreign language art-house production, and it was well-received by critics.

China and France signed an agreement encouraging bilateral co-production in movies in 2010, but this film is only the second one after Wang Xiaoshuai's Eleven Flowers (2012) in the post-deal period.

"People cannot emphasize too much the number of co-produced films," Delbecq says. "We begin a project only when we find the theme and script are suitable for cooperation to ensure quality."

He admits that many French audiences have a stereotypical understanding of China because portrayals of China on their country's big screens are mostly negative.

"But this time, they see a true and positive image and find Chinese families are facing the same problem as theirs. That will immediately close the psychological gap."

Contact the writer at wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn

The Nightingale stars veteran actor Li Baotian and Yang Xinyi as his granddaughter. Provided to China Daily

Philippe Muyl (second from right) and major cast of The Nightingale at a press conference in Beijing on Monday. Wang Kaihao / China Daily