Dear You misleads a bit in its setup. It starts with Hiou-ui, the grandson of Iap Sogriu (arguably our main character), deciding to chase his estranged billionaire grandfather down in Thailand to pay off his massive debts. The tone is light and almost comedic, and Western audiences could almost be deceived into thinking this is going to be a road-trip-style comedic drama. This is just the setup, though, so that Sogriu can finally discover what happened to her husband who never returned.
While I’d argue its beginning feels a little disjointed, this movie thrives once we’re settled into Bhagseng’s (the grandfather) story. The natural chemistry between Bhagseng and Lamgi’s blossoming friendship serves as the core of the narrative as we move from romance to drama to heartbreak. These shifts all feel real, not concocted for the sake of creating an arbitrary twist. Despite being fiction, it has the feel of a film that’s based on a true story and it has everything to do with the creative team’s vision to tell a story about a real time in the history of the Teochew people.
The film revolves around the concept of qiaopi, the concept of a letter along with money that was sent back to mainland China from the family’s primary breadwinner working abroad. Bhagseng, like many of the Teochew men living abroad, cannot write and relies on remittance offices to both dictate and send the letters to his wife and children. Education (or the lack thereof) looms heavily over the story, particularly as the main cast attempts to educate the Teochew children residing in Thailand and faces active discrimination from local police.
Anyone can tell a story with happy or sad beats, but Dear You does an incredible job of communicating a setting and story that may be very unfamiliar to some audiences (like us in the global west) and making it feel universal. The performances are beautiful and absolutely heartbreaking, particularly Sitong Li as Lamgi. Honestly, this movie will make you openly weep by the time the credits roll, and it’s so rare to find a movie like this that doesn’t feel like misery porn.
This one was a complete surprise to me, but currently stands out as one of the best films I’ve watched this year. It has a limited theatrical release, so please catch this in theaters if you can.
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