Modest-budget film is a surprise box-office hit

As a nostalgic journey to revisit a golden era for poetry enthusiasts, the art house film A Poem in Love has unexpectedly achieved commercial success, commented industry insiders during a seminar held in Beijing earlier last week.

The modest-budget film has grossed around 18 million yuan ($2.46 million) at the box office since its premiere on Nov 30, making it a dark horse in the art house film sector amid the sluggish domestic market.

Set in the 1980s, the film recounts the story of a poet who, along with two close friends, moves into a wooden house deep in the forests of Arxan Mountain in the Inner Mongolian autonomous region. The protagonist seeks a reclusive place to focus on writing poetry, but his tranquil life is disrupted by an unexpected visitor — a young woman who falls in love with the poet and desires to bring him back to the urban environment.

Jiang Qinmin, who began his film industry career as a scriptwriter, revealed that he is also an enthusiast of novels and poems, with his hobby leading him to acquire the copyright of female writer Yao E'mei's novel, Xiang Tian Yi Yang Gao (As High as the Sky).

After five years of script adaptation and fundraising, the film was shot in Arxan National Forest Park, a picturesque attraction full of lush forests, pristine lakes, and rolling hills.

Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critics Association, said that the film evokes a collective memory of literature and art lovers active during the 1980s.

"The 1980s has been widely commemorated online earlier this year. It epitomizes an era of scarcity in materials but abundance in spiritual quest. Infused with poetic lines, the film serves as a delectable feast for those yearning for the bygone golden age of poetry," added Rao.