51 minutes of chaotic Chinese teen rebellion that outraged parents and made millions.
Cheng Xiaoyu's parents are divorced, and in the eyes of her classmates she is a problem teen. Influenced by her parents and oppressed by social reality, Cheng Xiaoyu neither believes in family affection, nor in friendship, nor in love. She gave up her pursuit of the future and indulged herself, often going to game venues, hotels, discotheques. Wearing famous brands, smoking, drinking, worshiping money, skipping classes, fighting, going to nightclubs, playing with men, and basically doing all the bad things that can be done when young, in the eyes of her and her sisters, their own responsibility is to give up responsibility. Pubescence is a 2011 Chinese teen sex comedy film directed and written by Guan Xiaojie, starring Zhao Yihuan and Wang Yi. It is the first film in the Pubescence theatrical series. The film was a box-office hit and spawned three direct sequels: Paradise Lost, Pubescence 3, and Pubescence 4.
Acting
Zhao Yihuan's breakout as the poster child for 'bad girl' cinema.
Direction
Guan Xiaojie's guerrilla filmmaking that somehow started a theatrical empire.
Production
Shoestring budget that looks like a glossy music video.
Director
Guan Xiaojie
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This micro-budget web film became a theatrical phenomenon, sparking national debates about teen morality and getting denounced by state media.
Director Guan Xiaojie shot this in 8 days for roughly $130,000—proving Chinese censorship couldn't kill provocative youth content, just drive it underground.
CN
