Letters of My Grandmother's Love, a Chinese film directed by Lan Hongchun, arrives in French cinemas on September 2, 2026. This family drama follows a young man who traces back the letters and money orders once sent by his grandfather from Thailand.
For decades, Ye Shurou lived on the letters and the money her husband sent her. He had left China for Thailand, leaving behind a family holding on to every update and the hope of his return.
Years later, his grandson Xiaowei sets out to track down his missing grandfather. As his investigation unfolds, the family’s story gradually proves not to match the full truth. The letters become fragments of a past made up of separations, sacrifices, and acts of devotion that had long gone unseen.
The film sets this intimate story against the backdrop of Chinese communities who went to work in Southeast Asia. The letters and money transfers sent to relatives back home formed a crucial material and emotional lifeline, even as the lives of those who left were sometimes kept in the shadows.
Starring, among others, Li Sitong, Wang Yantong, Wu Shaoqing, Zheng Runqi, and Wang Xiaohui, My Grandmother's Love Letters is shot in Teochew, a dialect spoken mainly in the Chaoshan region and within several Chinese diaspora communities.
Lan Hongchun also co-writes the screenplay with Zheng Xuanxuan. With a running time of 1h58, the film weaves together the search for a missing man and the reconstruction of a family memory, where each generation holds only a fragment.
To extend the in-theater experience, check out the September movie releases, the films currently showing, and our drama lineup of the year.
This page may contain AI-assisted elements, more information here.
