| Dying to Survive | |
|---|---|
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| Traditional Chinese | 我不是藥神 |
| Simplified Chinese | 我不是药神 |
| Literal meaning | I'm Not a Medicine God |
| Hanyu Pinyin | Wǒ Bú Shì Yào Shén |
| Directed by | Wen Muye |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Wang Boxue |
| Edited by | Zhu Lin |
Production |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | China |
| Language | Mandarin |
| Budget | $10.9 million[1] |
| Box office | $453 million[2] |
Dying to Survive is a 2018 Chinese comedy-drama film[3] directed by Wen Muye in his feature film debut. The film is based on the real-life story of Lu Yong (陆勇), a Chinese leukemia patient who smuggled cheap and generic cancer medicine from India for 1,000 Chinese cancer sufferers in 2004.[4][5] Dying to Survive stars Xu Zheng in the lead role, who also co-produced the film with Ning Hao.
An aphrodisiac peddler, Cheng Yong, is in financial trouble. His store has not been making profits for a long time and his father urgently needs a large sum of money for brain surgery.
One day a man wearing thick layers of surgical masks comes to his shop. He asks Cheng to bring a cheap drug from India in return for a large sum of money. Due to patent protection, the Swiss drug imatinib is very expensive and cannot be afforded by most leukemia patients in China. However, an inexpensive generic version of it is available in India.
Desperate for money, Cheng agrees to risk smuggling the drug into China. As more chronic myelogenous leukemia patients start to buy drugs from him, Cheng becomes rich. His motivation starts to change after he witnesses devastated patients whose families had been pushed into poverty by costly cancer treatments walk away with hope for the future.
At the same time, Chinese police notice the availability of the contraband imatinib and vow to crack down on the unlicensed generic drug, as the originator company Nova (reflecting Novartis in real life) sues the Indian government for infringing its patent.
On opening day, the film topped the Chinese box office and grossed $49.71 million, including preview screenings.[6] By the end of its opening weekend, the film had grossed $199.58 million,[7] the fourth biggest opening weekend ever in China.[8] As of September 15, 2018, the film has grossed $453 million, becoming the year's third highest-grossing film at the Chinese box office.[9]
Pang-Chieh Ho of SupChina wrote that Dying to Survive "might be China's best movie of the year". She compared the film's social realist themes to Hollywood film Dallas Buyers Club, Indian film Dangal, and Chinese film Angels Wear White.[10] Though Simon Abrams of RogerEbert.com also compared the film to Dallas Buyers Club, he gave Dying to Survive two out of four stars, criticizing the excessive focus on Cheng to the detriment of the film's message and at the expense of other characters. He stated that "I’d have an easier time accepting the trite, asked-and-answered conclusions... if [the director and co-writers] were more adept at tugging at viewers' heart-strings."[11]
The film sparked debate about the cost of healthcare in China. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang cited the film in an appeal to regulators to "speed up price cuts for cancer drugs" and "reduce the burden on families".[12]
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| Year | Award | Category | Recipients | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 55th Golden Horse Awards | Best Feature Film | Dying to Survive | Nominated |
| Best Leading Actor | Xu Zheng | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Zhang Yu | Nominated | ||
| Best New Director | Wen Muye | Won | ||
| Best Original Screenplay | Han Jianü, Zhong Wei and Wen Muye | Won | ||
| Best Makeup & Costume Design | Li Miao | Nominated | ||
| Best Film Editing | Jolin Zhu | Nominated | ||
| 14th Changchun Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Dying to Survive | Won | |
| Best Leading Actor | Xu Zheng | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Han Jianv, Zhong Wei and Wen Muye | Won | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Wang Chuanjun | Won | ||
| 42nd Montreal World Film Festival | Best Screenplay | Han Jianv, Zhong Wei and Wen Muye | Won | |
| 5th Silk Road International Film Festival | Best Feature Film | Dying to Survive | Won | |
| Hainan International Film Festival[13] | Best Film | Dying to Survive | Won | |
| 2019 | 38th Hong Kong Film Awards | Best Film from Mainland and Taiwan | Dying to Survive | Won |
