Shubhabrata Dutta
Sandra Oh is headed to Ontario for her next feature. The filming of the psychological thriller ‘Child’s Play,’ unrelated to the cult classic horror franchise, will take place in Toronto and North Bay, Ontario, between August 24 and September 30 this year. Wang Xiaoshuai will direct, based on a screenplay by Hannah Moscovitch, who adapted it from Alice Munro’s short story of the same name.
A story about guilt and redemption, ‘Child’s Play’ follows Marlene Lee, the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents, who in 1983 attends an all-white summer camp for girls. To fit in and impress her new friend Charlene, Marlene crosses a line that will forever change her life. Some 41 years later, in 2024, and having devoted herself to a successful political career, adult Marlene strives to make meaningful societal change. However, as she stands on the brink of a pivotal electoral victory, dark shadows from her past resurface when she and Charlene are forced to reconnect.
Golden Globe-winner and BAFTA nominee Sandra Oh is the star of shows like ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy.’ Her latest performance was as Martha in Aziz Ansari’s comedy movie ‘Good Fortune,’ also featuring Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, and Ansari. We also saw her in Ann Marie Fleming’s sci-fi movie ‘Can I Get a Witness,’ set in a future where death has become a responsibility. Oh played Sofia Mori in the HBO Max historical comedy series ‘The Sympathizer,’ co-starring Robert Downey Jr. She is the voice of Debbie Grayson, mother of the titular superhero protagonist, in the Prime Video animated series ‘Invincible.’
Wang Xiaoshuai is a well-known figure in the Chinese independent film scene. Some of his popular feature directorials are ‘Chongqing Blues,’ ‘Beijing Bicycle,’ ‘Shanghai Dreams,’ ‘11 Flowers,’ and ‘So Close to Paradise.’ His movie ‘In Love We Trust’ won a Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. At the 2019 Berlin International Film Festival, his movie ‘So Long, My Son’ won two Silver Bears. Xiaoshuai’s latest film, ‘Above the Dust,’ was screened at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival and other festivals. The plot, based on a short story by Li Shijiang, follows a ten-year-old who dreams of a water pistol. He does get it, but by the time it happens, there is no school and no one left in his village to play with. The movie depicts the heart-wrenching disappearance of rural China amid modernization. ‘Above the Dust’ has yet to receive a theatrical release date due to censorship issues.
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