On August 29, the Chinese Valentine's Day, the Italian film "Follemente" held a premiere with thousands of people at the Shanghai Grand Cinema, warming up for this romantic comedy that will be officially released on September 5.
The Grandview Cinema was decorated to host the premiere of "All About Dating".
Throughout the screening, the theater erupted in laughter. After the film concluded, director Paolo Genovese made a surprise appearance to engage with the audience. Having visited Shanghai many times, including during this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, Genovese is intimately familiar with both the city and its audiences. Perhaps due to his years of experience shooting commercials, he often took the lead during the Q&A session, peppering the audience with questions like a relationship consultant. He stated, "Being up close with the audience has been incredibly helpful in my filmmaking."
The story of "All About Dating" revolves around the first date of the two protagonists.
When it comes to Paolo Genovese, his most well-known work is undoubtedly "Perfect Stranger." Including the Chinese version "The Call," the film has been remade in over 15 countries, making it the most remade film in the world. "All About Dating," which premiered in Italy in February of this year, shares similar themes with its predecessor, both focusing on relationships between the sexes. However, this time, the protagonists are not a married couple, but a man and a woman on their first date.
The film tells the story of Piero, a high school philosophy teacher fresh off a failed marriage, and Laura, a furniture restorer fresh off a relationship. They meet by chance in a bar in Rome and schedule their first date at Laura's house. Their lack of understanding of each other makes both parties uneasy. Thus, a fierce clash ensues between Piero's four personalities and Laura's four. Each of these personalities possesses distinct characteristics: some mature and reserved, some sentimental, some innocent and naive, and some impulsive and rebellious. Their common thread is the desire for control, making their date full of twists and turns, both hilarious and full of twists and turns.
The eight personalities in the two protagonists' minds clash during the date.
Talking about the original intention of making "All About Dating", Genovese revealed: "Audiences who have seen "Perfect Strangers" will easily find that it shows the more negative and pessimistic aspects of romantic relationships. Of course, that is not the whole of love. The reason why I wrote the story of "All About Dating" is to show everyone the beautiful side of love. Many viewers broke up after watching "Perfect Strangers" (laughs). I hope that after watching "All About Dating", everyone can rekindle their expectations for love. Perhaps I made "All About Dating" to make up for the trauma caused by "Perfect Strangers"."
"Speaking of 'Perfect Strangers' and 'All About Dating,' the two films actually have something very important in common. They both advance the story from a perspective that is inaccessible to others. 'Perfect Strangers' begins with the perspective of the mobile phone, which we all know is extremely private. 'All About Dating' begins with the perspective of the brain, which is a territory that only you control."
Director Paolo Genovese listens to questions from the audience.
Many viewers feel that "All About Dating" is a romantic comedy version of "Inside Out," but director Paolo Genovese revealed that his inspiration actually came from his time as a commercial director 25 years ago. "At the time, I shot a commercial for an Italian TV station. The protagonist had a variety of personalities inside his head, showing that the station could cater to a wide range of people. I thought it would be interesting to create a film that could showcase all the different personalities in one person's head."
An audience member asked, "The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is not only China's Valentine's Day but also symbolizes women's self-realization. So, how does the director view the relationship between pursuing love and career?" "This is a very difficult question, and there is no right answer," said Paolo Genovese. "I don't think there's a difference in importance between the two. What matters is that you ask yourself which is more important to you, and then pursue it."
Some viewers were curious about what director Paolo Genovese thought the film could teach young viewers. He replied, "A thousand words can be summed up in one sentence: Be brave to love. But the 'bravery' mentioned here encompasses many aspects. For example, when you want to start a new relationship, you might as well be brave. In a developing relationship, if there's something not quite what you want, you must have the courage to endure it. When a relationship stabilizes, you may have concerns about whether to have children, and you must also be brave enough to make a decision. Of course, it's also very important to have the courage to say goodbye when a relationship is no longer healthy and has reached its end."
"All About Dating" will be officially released on September 5th.
Some viewers also believe that "All About Dating" is more like a prequel to "Perfect Strangers". In this regard, Paul Genovese revealed: "If you are curious about how this couple will develop in the future, please look forward to the sequel to "All About Dating."