Restless (1998 film)

Restless also known as Xia Ri Qing Dong is a 1998 film directed by Jule Gilfillan and starring Catherine Kellner and David Wu. An AmericanChinese coproduction, it was screened at multiple film festivals in 1998 and 1999 before receiving a limited theatrical release in the United States in 2000 and a DVD release on December 4, 2001. The film focuses on the romance between Leah, a traveling translator estranged from her boyfriend, and Richard, a shiftless ChineseAmerican returning his grandfathers ashes to Beijing. It was generally panned by critics as clichd and undelivered storylines, but did praise it for its scenery.

Coproduced by Celestial Pictures and Beijing Youth Film Studios, Restless was filmed in Beijing at a cost ofmillion. The dialog was shot primarily in English, with approximatelyspoken in Chinese. Through the films title and story, producer and cowriter Peter Shiao wanted to capture something thats unique to the college generation ... the need to go on the road and explore yourself, in the process of exploring the world. While the film highlights the cultural differences between America and China, Shiao notes that he was careful not to overly politicize the dialog, wanting to avoid both being seen as too critical of the Chinese government, and of being too politically correct.He wanted the film to test the viability of the Chinese market. Being coproduced with a Chinese company and under a profitsharing film, Shiao felt the work could be distributed in China without the restrictions placed on other American films. He also felt it would aid diplomacy between the two countries after changes in Chinas handling of intellectual properties. He notes, however, that Chinese authorities would first have to approve the film, which pushes the envelope. It took a year of negotiations over script approvals, actor selections and crew for the coproduction to be approved, but Shiao felt it was important that the film be viewable to both Chinese and American audiences. ........

Source: Wikipedia