On the evening of July 3, the distributor of the film “Wild Child,” which reflects the lives of homeless children in China, suddenly announced the cancellation of its scheduled release on July 10 without providing an explanation. This news has sparked attention.
The statement from the “Wild Child” production team reads: “Due to post-production progress reasons, the film ‘Wild Child’ will cancel the scheduled release on July 10. We offer our most sincere apologies to our colleagues in the film industry and all the audience friends, thank you for your warm support during this time. We will actively coordinate with ticketing platforms and cinemas to ensure proper handling of ticket refunds for everyone.”
It is worth noting that on the morning of July 3, the film had just announced its reschedule, moving up from the original release date of July 12 to July 10.
“Wild Child” is based on the true story of the “Homeless Brothers,” focusing on children living in social difficulties, telling the story of the wandering journey and the protection and redemption of a “thief” older brother and an “orphan” younger brother.
In the film, the boy Ma Liang (played by Wang Junkai) who lives a solitary wandering life, coincidentally encounters Xuanxuan (played by Guan Zixie), a child forgotten by his family and uncared for by anyone. Similar fates lead the two lonely boys to build a small family, taking care of each other.
The trailer shows tension between brothers Ma Liang and Xuanxuan due to Xuanxuan’s “bad behavior,” causing cracks in the bond between the “Homeless Brothers.” It also exposes the harsh reality faced by wild children who survive through crime in the dark crevices of the organization led by Wen Shu.
The withdrawal of “Wild Child” immediately sparked discussions and even trended as the top search topic.
“No matter what, this is a great film! It truly showed me the meaning of movies, touching and real. Because there are many left-behind children without parents around me, they may not be like Ma Liang and Xuanxuan, but they are also sensible and heartbreaking. This film should be seen and eagerly awaited.”
“Anyway, the money refunded today will be spent entirely on ‘Wild Child’ when it is released. This film has become the one I most anticipate”; “He steals gold, he is guilty; he steals bread, society is guilty…”; “So sudden? Shifted dates today, then cancelled tonight? Huh? Suddenly stopped?!”
Regarding this, writer Yuan Hongbing, residing in Australia, told Radio Free Asia that the highest leader in charge of the Chinese Communist Party’s ideological work believes that “Wild Child” carries “negative energy” and does not highlight the “main theme.”
Yuan Hongbing said: “The information we received is that Cai Qi is currently a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee in charge of propaganda. He put forward that the film does not conform to the main theme, does not encourage the positive upward trend that young people and teenagers should have now, and may mislead people to develop a negative mentality towards the current reality in China, thus leading to the halt of the screening.”