Filmmaker Yang Li is known for Escape from the 21st Century (2024), Lee’s Adventure (2011) and Jie zi gui cheng (2023). He stopped by to chat with us about creating Escape from the 21st Century.
Where did you come up with the idea for Escape from the 21st Century?
The script for《 21st Century》was actually written in 2015 because at the time, youth-themed films were really popular in China. I was commissioned by a production company to write something with the specific requirements of, 1) the story had to have 3 protagonists – because the story was originally created for a famous Chinese boy band trio 2) it was to be a celebration of friendship with an uplifting tone, and 3) it needed to be low budget. In the end, I managed to meet these requirements fairly well!
Generally, do you start with a visual idea, a character, or the storyline?
My initial answer is “Character! Of course it’s character!” But reflecting on stories I’ve written before, I realize I don’t really have an established method. Anything interesting can inspire me to tell a story—whether it’s the rise and fall of the cosmos or even just a single word! The downside of this is that I often start things only to abandon them later. These days, the only thing that keeps me committed to finishing a story seems to be the “late penalty clause” in my contracts—-haha!
What is your process for putting the script together?
When conceiving a scene, my process typically begins with a fun visual image popping into my mind which I then pair with music that I love. From there, I can determine how the image should evolve and the music often imbues the scene with specific emotions and rhythm. Once this foundation is set, I’ll sketch out rough storyboards to then translate into a screenplay format for production use.
Were there any real-life inspirations behind this film’s storyline?
Yeah there was. One of the assignment requirements was to “celebrate friendship”, but in my experience, I always grappled with the ability to form deep friendships – so the idea of having three ride-or-die best friends seemed like an implausible reality! In 2015, I was going through a particularly difficult time and struggled under the shadow of depression which manifests in three distinct characteristics: 1) Inability to ask for help when facing difficulties, 2) A profound weariness about the future, and 3) Distorted self-awareness. While I didn’t have three lifelong best friends by my side, I did have these three persistent flaws that always stuck by me! So in a moment of inspiration, I created this trio into my characters Chengyong, Wangzha, and Paopao who each embody one of depression’s defining traits.
The film has some stunning visuals; can you talk about creating them and bringing them to life?
I’m delighted you used the word “stunning”! But I must admit the visual effects didn’t turn out as well as intended. During post-production, our funding dried up which unfortunately left many of the VFX shots unfinished. We ended up scrambling to piece together various alternative techniques to fill in the gaps, so the final result substantially differs from my original grand vision. I’m truly grateful for everyone’s generous acceptance of the visuals. If given another opportunity, I hope to be able to realize more of my original intent.
I loved the music; how did you work with composer Xiao’ou Hu in creating the musical sound for the film?
You know, whenever I write scripts, I always mark specific BGM for every scene and can be quite stubborn during the scoring process. But Xiao’ou Hu always managed to come up with more interesting musical solutions to break through my stubbornness! This collaboration required considerable effort on his part and I truly appreciate his incredible work!
How did you approach casting for this specific project?
In this case, the actor found me! For a long time after the script was written, nobody could understand what I was trying to convey, so it sat there for years before lead actor, Zhang Ruoyun, happened across the script. When I met him, his first words to me were: “Hello, I am Wang Zha in the flesh!” and the rest is history! As I mentioned earlier, the Wang Zha character originated from one-third of myself, but in our following discussions, Zhang Ruoyun’s insight into the character really inspired the remaining two-thirds. This gave me tremendous luck and momentum to then successively cast the perfect actors for the rest of the roles. Looking back now, everything really came together with such serendipity!
Are there any specific films that deeply impacted your style or approach?
It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly which works influenced me the most. I grew up watching a lot of Soviet films and their deep melancholy always stayed with me. Then during my student years, I became enamored with films like PULP FICTION and RUN LOLA RUN which swing toward the opposite extreme. After starting high school, I became obsessed with Japanese anime and learned how to draw manga to earn money for video games! Long live the glorious diversity of human creativity!
How would you like the film to resonate with audiences?
With the world getting tougher these days, I just hope audiences walk out of the cinema with lifted spirits!