Chinese drama ‘The Hedgehog’ features weird and wacky misfits

By Joyce Xu

The director and cast of “The Hedgehog,” shortlisted for the Golden Goblet Awards Main Competition, talked about the film’s production at a 26th Shanghai International Film Festival press conference on June 20.

The drama film, based on a novel by Zheng Zhi, is the latest offering of famous Chinese filmmaker Gu Changwei.

It revolves around the friendship and special bond between a pair of misfits at the depths of their existence. 

Renowned Chinese actor Ge You plays Wang Zhantuan, whose weird behaviour and wacky ideas make him a social outcast. 

Wang has only one understanding friend, Zhou Zheng, who is portrayed by Wang Junkai. But Zhou is also ostracized by his family and people around him because of his embarrassing stutter.

Director Gu, whose credits include “Peacock,” “And the Spring Comes,” and “Nice to Meet You,” said that it is not easy for a filmmaker to find such a good story.

“It depicts the value of an individual and the choices he makes in his life,” said Gu. “I usually imagine how wonderful a person's life can be, and what kind of challenges and difficulties might face him.”

Zheng Zhi, author of the original novel and the film’s scriptwriter, said that director Gu has added warmth and colour to the original novel which tells a sad story.

“The film is about how a pair of misfits find their inner strength to rediscover their value and direction in life,” said Zheng.

Actor Ge You admitted that the character is quite different from all his former roles on the screen. He spent a lot of time reading the script and thinking about the character. His diligence and devotion to acting also impressed young co-actor Wang Junkai.

“I learned a lot from Ge during the shooting,” Wang said. “He and director Gu also gave me some advice on how to best portray a stutterer. The role I depict has low self-esteem, but he still has a flame burning deep in his heart.”