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Director Wen Muye speaks on latest anti-war movie_我的网站

旋转的爱

一 | （新加坡讯）　三个巧合，让冒充“名校教师”的骗子得逞，牛车水一家公司被骗，以为只是帮“学校”先垫钱买床垫给宿舍学生，结果被骗2万新元。

A still from the movie Once Upon a Time in the Middle East starring Shen Teng Photo: ICYears after tackling social issues in the breakout hit film Dying to Survive, Chinese director Wen Muye returns with Once Upon a Time in the Middle East. The film opened nationwide in China on Tuesday, and, including advanced screenings, crossed 200 million yuan ($29.6 million) at the box office on its first day.
It centers on an ordinary Chinese chef caught in the crossfire of war. Shen Teng stars as Xu Fu, a cook who travels to the fictional Middle Eastern capital of Bahata to repay family debts. There he joins forces with restaurant manager Ma Junsheng (actor Jiang Qiming) to run a Chinese eatery. When conflict erupts, the self-preserving every-man endures personal losses and gradually comes to protect local children.
Produced by Ning Hao, the film continues Wen's signature focus on "little people," this time placing them far beyond China's borders.
In an interview with the Global Times, Wen talked about the project's connection to news reports of Chinese migrants who open restaurants overseas and forge quiet connections through food.
"Many Chinese people go abroad simply to make a living," he told the Global Times. "They open restaurants, use food to break down regional barriers, and form deep bonds with locals."
The production team conducted extensive research and location scouting in the Middle East to capture everyday details. Elements such as free-running single-humped camels required overseas shoots; the resulting images of open space after confinement, Wen noted, carry a simple sense of hope.
Food functions as the film's central motif.
"Food more often stands for happiness and peace," Wen explained. "Even in a war-torn environment, people still cannot do without three meals a day. That sounds basic, but after all the big things in life, what people care about most are the simplest things - eating a proper meal and taking care of family."
A specialized food unit developed the dishes, and Shen trained extensively so that most of the wok-tossing sequences were performed by the actor himself, Wen said.
The film deliberately intercuts kitchen routines with combat sequences.
"Three meals a day represent our longing for peaceful life, while war is the extreme act that destroys peaceful life on a large scale," Wen said. "When they collide, each becomes clearer: Food feels more ordered and full of happiness; war feels more chaotic and dark."
He hopes the juxtaposition helps audiences recognize how hard-won ordinary peace really is.
Xu Fu's decision to shelter orphans never relies on lofty rhetoric, only a meal and a roof. Wen described this approach as rooted in a human-centered outlook rather than classic Western hero narratives.
"We place more weight on humanism and the value of a person's existence. Our culture is about living well, studying well, eating well, and looking after children. No matter how large the events, three meals a day remain unavoidable. Food itself has warmth and can give people real strength when they are in a difficult situation," Wen said.
The director noted that he wants viewers to leave with the plainest conviction: live properly, eat properly, and cherish the peace that exists in the present.
On balancing personal expression with commercial reach, Wen kept his principle simple: "Make the film well and tell the story well. I try to put what I want to express into foreshadowing and details without hurting the viewing experience. If audiences notice those details, I will be glad. If they do not, it does not affect the normal narrative."
From Dying to Survive and Miracle: Stupid Kid to the new film, Wen's view of human complexity has remained consistent. "People have many different sides. They face different circumstances and make different choices."
The through-line, he added, is the same plain belief: "Being able to enjoy a proper meal is the greatest happiness."
Early audience response has been overwhelmingly positive. Advanced screenings delivered scores of 9.7-9.8 on major Chinese platforms including ticketing platform Maoyan.
Many entered expecting a light Shen Teng comedy and left in tears, describing the experience as "laughing then crying." Shen's restrained performance has drawn particular praise, with some calling it the strongest of his career. Jiang's supporting work has also been widely noted.
Moviegoers have frequently highlighted the film's refusal to deliver speeches. Its focus on daily meals and small acts of care lands more powerfully than any slogan.
On the depiction of the conflict, audiences observe that the movie offers a perspective that "flips the Hollywood script" by casting the US as the invader, while refusing to portray US soldiers as pure villains. Instead they appear as ordinary young men: loose in discipline and marked by the alienation of war.
Both Chinese and overseas viewers have singled out this measured approach as part of the film's distinctive Chinese viewpoint: It sidesteps both Western hero narratives and simple demonization. Some international comments note that by staying with ordinary lives rather than choosing geopolitical sides, the story offers a different lens on conflict.
One widely circulated comment from a popular Chinese self-media account on WeChat captured the film's ambition: "You can think of this film as a blend of Casablanca, Schindler's List, and The Shawshank Redemption, yet at its core lies the same grounded human compassion found in Dying to Survive. This is a highly successful attempt by Chinese filmmakers to surpass Hollywood. It is the first Chinese film that truly possesses a global vision and a professional sense of international storytelling. It is also a gift of warmth and goodwill from the Chinese people to a world still torn by war and cruelty."
。这家受骗的公司负责人与财务经理，日前接受《新明日报》访问时说，本月15日接到一通自称是华侨中学“陈涛老师”的电话，对方表示“校方”要安排33名学生在本月23日至25日前往马来西亚的一所中学参观，需要安排来回接送服务与当地接待，要求他们提供报价。负责人透露，对方的行程安排非常详细，还出示了“工作证”，声称自己在教务处工作。谈到第一个巧合，他说：“这名‘陈老师’称最初联络的是我的朋友，但朋友近期不在国内，于是将这个潜在客户转介给我。我以为是朋友的友人，所以才卸下了警惕。”第二个巧合，就是当时正靠近周末，纵然没收到订金，也不疑有他。

二 | “那时对方表示正值周末，所以学校财务部门休假，款项得在周一才汇出。”取得信任后，骗子就要求受害者为他代购指定牌子的床垫。岂料周一（19日）上午对方突然联系他，并发来一张床垫照片，声称教育部要突击检查学校宿舍，需要购买指定品牌的床垫，但因他本人与供应商闹翻，所以委托他代购。“他让我联系一名姓李的供应商，询问是否能购买50张床垫，请我垫付2万910新元。他还信誓旦旦地承诺用学校担保，事后一定会还钱。”第三个巧合是本月正值中元节。负责人说，农历七月出行的人较少，本以为遇上了个客户，因此才尽全力促成合作。

三 | 公司财务经理告诉记者，在接到负责人的指示后，便与“床垫供应商”接洽，购买床垫。他提到，“对方提供了一个本地的PayNow号码，我告诉他款项将分成两笔汇入，但对方坚持当天下午就会有一批货送抵，不断催促我打款。

四 | 与此同时，‘陈老师’也打电话来，两个人同时对我施加压力，要求我尽快付款，让我连喘息的馀地都没有。”骗子冒充华侨中学的教师谎称要安排学生前往马来西亚。受骗公司负责人：如今不敢回复要求报价邮件负责人表示，现在每当收到要求提供报价单的邮件，都不敢回复。他说，这个月本就生意不佳，还损失了一笔不小的款项，所幸还没预付在马来西亚安排巴士与接待的款项，否则又是一笔损失。他坦言此事对他造成很大的影响，现在每当收到要求提供报价单的邮件都不敢回复，生怕又陷入类似陷阱。他不知道这是否会对公司未来运营造成影响。“我希望通过自己的遭遇警惕民众，以免落入类似骗局。”发来假转账截图等财务经理完成汇款后，“陈老师”竟又要求再购买50张床垫。他感到事有蹊跷，随后联系“陈老师”要求对方立即偿还垫付的2万多新元，对方随即发来了一张“转账截图”。