Sheng Xia Wei Lai
2021 / 115m - China
Romance
3.5*/5.0*
Upcoming Summer poster

Plot: Chen messes up her exam after discovering her parents are close to divorcing each other. She doesn't dare to come clean with them and makes up an excuse about a break-up with her non-existent boyfriend. Things get complicated when the story spreads and the guy is publicly confronted about a relationship he never had.

Watches

July 28, 2023

3.5*/5.0*

A fine Chinese romance by Leste Chen. That's not a big surprise, he has proven before that he can handle the genre. The EDM festival setting is relatively novel and adds a bit of extra flair, but it's not quite enough to set the film apart from so many similar films. If you're craving Asian teen romance, it's certainly not a bad bet though.

The performances are solid, the cinematography is slick and atmospheric, but the music is a tad too cheesy and the EDM pretty commercial. The romance is rather predictable too and two hours is a bit much for a film that offers nothing new. That said, as prime genre filler, Upcoming Summer definitely delivers.