3.5/5 stars

Boasting a cast of largely unknown actors and playing out almost entirely in the Teochew (Chiu Chow) dialect of eastern Guangdong, Lan Hongchun’s modestly budgeted drama Dear You has become a runaway success at the mainland Chinese box office.

Its young female lead, Li Sitong, gives a career-making performance, while eagle-eyed viewers will recognise 80-year-old actress Usha Seamkhum from the 2024 Thai blockbuster How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies in a small but notable role.

Dear You follows Hiau-ui (Zheng Runqi), a cash-strapped young Teochew man, as he heads to Thailand in search of his estranged grandfather, Ten Baksheng, who has supposedly been living and thriving there for the last 50 years.

Forced to abandon his wife, Sok-jiu (played at a young age by Wang Xiaohui), and their three young children to avoid being drafted by the Kuomintang during China’s civil war, Baksheng has not returned home since. However, he sent letters and money back home for years – until he appeared to remarry and sever all ties.

As Sok-jiu (Wu Shaoqing) celebrates her 88th birthday, her grandson sets out to track down Baksheng and demand a share of his wealth. Upon arrival in Bangkok, however, Hiau-ui learns that his grandfather has been dead for decades.