The Dream Factory

1997 1h 30m ZH

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 65

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Four friends come up with an unusual idea to make some money and have fun doing it. For a small fee, they will impersonate and act out any character role for their customers. In the course of executing this novel service, they encounter a whole spectrum of people in society, finding ways to genuinely help them boost their morale and overcome their fears, while gaining unusual and new insights into the human condition.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Ge You
Yao Yuan
Liu Bei
Zhou Beiyan
He Bing
Liang Zi
Feng Xiaogang
Qian Kang
Ying Da
Patton
Xu Fan
Tang Lijun
Yang Lixin
Technician
Li Qi
Fat Cook

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Feng Xiaogang
Writers: Wang Gang, Feng Xiaogang
Languages: Mandarin
Countries: China

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

90 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

29 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Feng Xiaogang's Trilogy of New Year's Comedies" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Zhou Ying shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Ge You and Liu Bei and He Bing carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0260987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Feng Xiaogang directs. Zhou Ying cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in China. Dialogue in Mandarin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

190 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
229 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Feng Xiaogang's Trilogy of New Year's Comedies" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Editor Zhou Ying shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Ge You and Liu Bei and He Bing carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt0260987 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 65 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.