Dearest
Theatrical poster
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	親愛的
Simplified Chinese	亲爱的
Transcriptions Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Can Oi Dik Southern Min Bbánlám Pìngyīm Tshin Ai E
Directed by	Peter Chan
Written by	Zhang Ji
Produced by	Jojo Hui
Starring	Zhao Wei Huang Bo Tong Dawei Hao Lei Zhang Yi Zhang Yuqi
Cinematography	Shu Chou Yang Zhenyu
Edited by	Derek Hui
Music by	Leon Ko
Production companies	We Pictures Limited China Vision Media Group Stellar Mega Films Stellar Mega Pictures Enlight Pictures Real Thing Media HB Studio PULIN Production Limited
Distributed by	We Entertainment
Release dates	4 September 2014 (2014-09-04) (TIFF) 26 September 2014 (2014-09-26) (China) 13 November 2014 (2014-11-13) (Hong Kong)
Running time	130 minutes
Countries	China Hong Kong
Language	Mandarin
Box office	US$54,630,000 (China domestic gross only)[1]

Dearest is a 2014 Chinese-language film directed by Peter Chan on kidnapping in China, based on a true story,^[2] starring Zhao Wei, Huang Bo, Tong Dawei, Hao Lei, Zhang Yi and Zhang Yuqi. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.^[3]

Plot

Following years of unrelenting search, Tian Wenjun (Huang Bo) and ex-wife Lu Xiaojuan (Hao Lei) finally locate their abducted son in a remote village. After the boy is violently taken away from the village, the abductor's widow Li Hongqin (Zhao Wei) — the boy's foster mother — also loses her foster daughter to a state-owned orphanage in Shenzhen. Heartbroken, Li goes on a lone but determined journey to get her daughter back.

Theme songs

• "Qin'ai de Xiaohai" (亲爱的小孩; "Dear Child") sung by cast members Huang, Tong, Zhao, Zhang Yi and Hao. It was originally sung by Su Rui as the theme song of the 1985 film The Unwritten Law.
• "Mei Yi Ci" (每一次; "Every Time") sung by Huang. It was originally sung by Zhang Hongsheng as an insert song in the 1990 TV series Kewang.
• "Yinxing de Chibang" (隐形的翅膀; "Invisible Wings") sung by Huang and parents of missing children. It was originally sung by Angela Chang in her 2006 album Pandora.

Cast

• Zhao Wei
• Huang Bo
• Tong Dawei
• Hao Lei
• Zhang Yi
• Zhang Yuqi
• Zhang Guoqiang
• Zhu Dongxu
• Yi Qing
• Wang Zhifei

Production

Principal photography for Dearest took place in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengde.^[4] It began from January 2014 and concluded on 18 April 2014.

Portraying a rural mother, Zhao Wei spoke the Lower Yangtze Mandarin dialect (the predominant dialect in her hometown of Wuhu) rather than Standard Mandarin in the film.^[5]

Accolades