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Director Wen Muye speaks on latest anti-war movie_我的网站

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    A still from the movie Once Upon a Time in the Middle East starring Shen Teng Photo: ICYears after tackling social issues in the breakout hit film Dying to Survive, Chinese director Wen Muye returns with Once Upon a Time in the Middle East. The film opened nationwide in China on Tuesday, and, including advanced screenings, crossed 200 million yuan ($29.6 million) at the box office on its first day. 
It centers on an ordinary Chinese chef caught in the crossfire of war. Shen Teng stars as Xu Fu, a cook who travels to the fictional Middle Eastern capital of Bahata to repay family debts. There he joins forces with restaurant manager Ma Junsheng (actor Jiang Qiming) to run a Chinese eatery. When conflict erupts, the self-preserving every-man endures personal losses and gradually comes to protect local children. 
Produced by Ning Hao, the film continues Wen's signature focus on "little people," this time placing them far beyond China's borders.
In an interview with the Global Times, Wen talked about the project's connection to news reports of Chinese migrants who open restaurants overseas and forge quiet connections through food.
"Many Chinese people go abroad simply to make a living," he told the Global Times. "They open restaurants, use food to break down regional barriers, and form deep bonds with locals." 
The production team conducted extensive research and location scouting in the Middle East to capture everyday details. Elements such as free-running single-humped camels required overseas shoots; the resulting images of open space after confinement, Wen noted, carry a simple sense of hope.
Food functions as the film's central motif. 
"Food more often stands for happiness and peace," Wen explained. "Even in a war-torn environment, people still cannot do without three meals a day. That sounds basic, but after all the big things in life, what people care about most are the simplest things - eating a proper meal and taking care of family." 
A specialized food unit developed the dishes, and Shen trained extensively so that most of the wok-tossing sequences were performed by the actor himself, Wen said.
The film deliberately intercuts kitchen routines with combat sequences. 
"Three meals a day represent our longing for peaceful life, while war is the extreme act that destroys peaceful life on a large scale," Wen said. "When they collide, each becomes clearer: Food feels more ordered and full of happiness; war feels more chaotic and dark." 
He hopes the juxtaposition helps audiences recognize how hard-won ordinary peace really is.
Xu Fu's decision to shelter orphans never relies on lofty rhetoric, only a meal and a roof. Wen described this approach as rooted in a human-centered outlook rather than classic Western hero narratives. 
"We place more weight on humanism and the value of a person's existence. Our culture is about living well, studying well, eating well, and looking after children. No matter how large the events, three meals a day remain unavoidable. Food itself has warmth and can give people real strength when they are in a difficult situation," Wen said. 
The director noted that he wants viewers to leave with the plainest conviction: live properly, eat properly, and cherish the peace that exists in the present.
On balancing personal expression with commercial reach, Wen kept his principle simple: "Make the film well and tell the story well. I try to put what I want to express into foreshadowing and details without hurting the viewing experience. If audiences notice those details, I will be glad. If they do not, it does not affect the normal narrative."
From Dying to Survive and Miracle: Stupid Kid to the new film, Wen's view of human complexity has remained consistent. "People have many different sides. They face different circumstances and make different choices." 
The through-line, he added, is the same plain belief: "Being able to enjoy a proper meal is the greatest happiness."
Early audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. Advanced screenings delivered scores of 9.7-9.8 on major Chinese platforms including ticketing platform Maoyan. 
Many entered expecting a light Shen Teng comedy and left in tears, describing the experience as "laughing then crying." Shen's restrained performance has drawn particular praise, with some calling it the strongest of his career. Jiang's supporting work has also been widely noted.
Moviegoers have frequently highlighted the film's refusal to deliver speeches. Its focus on daily meals and small acts of care lands more powerfully than any slogan. 
On the depiction of the conflict, audiences observe that the movie offers a perspective that "flips the Hollywood script" by casting the US as the invader, while refusing to portray US soldiers as pure villains. Instead they appear as ordinary young men: loose in discipline and marked by the alienation of war.
Both Chinese and overseas viewers have singled out this measured approach as part of the film's distinctive Chinese viewpoint: It sidesteps both Western hero narratives and simple demonization. Some international comments note that by staying with ordinary lives rather than choosing geopolitical sides, the story offers a different lens on conflict.
One widely circulated comment from a popular Chinese self-media account on WeChat captured the film's ambition: "You can think of this film as a blend of Casablanca, Schindler's List, and The Shawshank Redemption, yet at its core lies the same grounded human compassion found in Dying to Survive. This is a highly successful attempt by Chinese filmmakers to surpass Hollywood. It is the first Chinese film that truly possesses a global vision and a professional sense of international storytelling. It is also a gift of warmth and goodwill from the Chinese people to a world still torn by war and cruelty."
。    据湖南湘潭警方4月20日凌晨通报，2024年4月12日15时41分，该局接群众电话报警称：湘潭大学在读研究生张某某（男，25岁）疑似被人投毒。

二 | 接警后，该局立即开展调查工作。经查，4月7日，张某某因身体不适到医院就医。4月13日，张某某经多方抢救无效，因多器官衰竭死亡。公安机关侦查发现，与张某某在校同寝室的周某某（男，27岁）有重大作案嫌疑。目前，犯罪嫌疑人周某某已被该局依法刑事拘留，案件正在进一步侦办中。　　湘潭大学回应学生身亡：深感悲痛　　此前网传信息称，琴湖公寓11栋马院的研究生因经常被偷外卖，从化学学院弄来秋水仙碱放在外卖里“钓鱼执法”，结果10栋的张某某“中招”。4月19日，湘潭大学宣传部回应澎湃新闻，“往外卖中投毒”不属实，相关情况正核实。4月20日，湘潭大学发文回应：　　曾向朋友诉苦嫌疑人与室友关系不睦，其他三人申请换宿舍未通过　　投毒悲剧的发生，似乎也并非无迹可寻。小张生前好友小郭清晰记得，去年七八月份，小张就向他说起过周某，已经换过3次宿舍的周某，在当年的6月份，才搬进小张的宿舍。　　27岁的周某来自湘大另一个学院，中途住进全是法学院研究生的琴湖学生宿舍10栋，在宿舍里显得格格不入。小郭听好友说，周某不太讲卫生，脾气还冲，会和人吵架。一旦和舍友们发生矛盾，担任宿舍长的小张就要出来调停。日积月累，周某与舍友们关系都不太好。　　另一个导火索，可能是小张自费购买了清扫厕所的工具，带头在宿舍清理厕所，其他舍友也跟着轮流清洁。但周某拒绝参与清洁，“叫他他就不理，假装没看见。”　　小张姐姐接受《北京青年报》采访时也提及此事，证实小张帮周某刷过几次厕所。　　小郭说，小张生前曾向他提起，另一个室友与周某有矛盾。

三 | 去年七八月，其他舍友外出实习，只剩周某和小张二人独处。有一段时间，周某经常直直地盯着小张，观察其一举一动，并用居高临下的态度对其讯问。“用讯问的话问你，问你做的什么动作？就监视你，控制着你，就这种感觉”，小郭说。

四 | 　　这当时只被小张看作普通小摩擦。今年3月初，小张向4名死党中的另一女性好友提起，包括自己在内的3名舍友，已向校方提出申请，要求换宿舍。但最终申请未通过。　　小郭怀疑，可能就是张某肩负的寝室长责任，总是充当和事佬，调停舍友们和周某的矛盾，因此被周某视为“出头鸟”，将矛盾全部转移至小张一人身上。　　小郭推测，周某的投毒行为应该发生在4月3日至11日这一段时间里，至于是何种毒物，小郭也不是特别清楚。　　小郭还获悉，好友一开始被投毒后，感觉身体不适，告知同学后被送医。一两天后，被发现病情严重通知家人，小张虽然有意识，但已经说不出话了。　　最终，湘潭中心医院无法救治，才被送往医疗水平更强的长沙湘雅医院。小郭听说，就在小张就医后一两天内，周某搬出了寝室，或许也是因此，警方怀疑到其身上。（中国小康网综合湖南湘潭警方、湘潭大学官网、北京青年报、华商报大风新闻）。

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Published on:12:24:04