When Singapore's legendary filmmaker Jack Neo watched the hit Chinese film Dear You (《給阿嬤的情書》) in China a few days ago, he came expecting a story about Qiaopi—the remittance letters sent home by overseas Chinese laborers in bygone years.
What he found instead was a love story and far more unexpected depth beneath the surface.
Since its debut on the Chinese mainland on April 30, the low-budget Chaoshan-dialect film has become a phenomenal box-office success.
Made on a low budget of around 14 million yuan, the film has grossed more than 1.6 billion yuan to date and earned a 9.2 rating on Douban. It ranks among the most highly acclaimed domestic Chinese films in recent years. Dear You is scheduled to hit cinemas in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, as well as Hong Kong and Macao SAR on June 18.
"I watched Dear You with two distinct feelings," the 66-year-old Neo shared in an interview with South. "First and foremost, there is the tale of Qiaopi. Yet Qiaopi is actually just a backdrop. At its core, this is a profoundly beautiful love story."
The scene that most moved him, he said, arrives at a moment of apparent betrayal: a photograph arrives, showing the male lead alongside another woman and a crowd of children. "Audiences immediately assume he has remarried and started a new family abroad," Neo recalled. "We can't help but feel sympathy for the female protagonist. She sacrificed so much for him."
But the film, directed by Lan Hongchun, swiftly subverts viewers' assumptions. "It turns out not to be what you have imagined. It's a completely different story. I won't spoil the plot," Neo said, praising the screenplay's clever plot twist. "This scene made me feel that the screenwriter and director are very skilled. It gave me a big surprise."
At its heart, Dear You centers on Qiaopi—the remittance letters that Chinese laborers sent back to their families from across the sea. This cultural heritage has even been inscribed on UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. "I can well understand what life was like back then. Crossing the vast ocean and with inconvenient transportation, they could only rely on letters for communication," Neo said. "Receiving a letter meant—you finally knew a loved one’s whereabouts and how they were faring—it brought immense peace of mind. It almost embodied everything: endless longing, heartfelt emotions, and countless unspoken words."
Neo is no stranger to stories of diaspora and sacrifice. Born in 1960, he was the eldest of four children in a family with a fishmonger father and a coffee-shop worker mother. He discovered his flair for comedy on stage while attending secondary school. After completing his military service, he spent nearly seven years as a drama director with the Singapore Armed Forces' Music and Drama Company, honing his craft in front of live audiences.
He later became a household name across Singapore thanks to the long-running show Comedy Night, where he created iconic comedic characters such as the mischievous granny Liang Po Po. In 2005, he was awarded Singapore's Cultural Medallion for his achievements in filmmaking.
One of his most personal works is a two-part film Long Long Time Ago (《我们的故事》). Set in 1965, the year Singapore gained independence, it follows a Chinese immigrant woman navigating a deeply patriarchal society. "A woman who came from China, after arriving in Singapore, still passed down those virtues," Neo said. "We see she truly made great sacrifices for the family. She didn't think of herself; she was always thinking of others."
That ethos, Neo argued, is what "being a person with love and loyalty" really means—the film's central creed. Yet for a creator who built his reputation on broadly accessible comedy, the idea carries urgent weight. "Everyone knows it," he said of the phrase. "But as times have changed, people no longer value this virtue. Many people no longer care about it. Look at what's happening around the world—it seems completely disconnected from this phrase. But I think the appearance of this phrase might remind modern people: having love and loyalty is still the true way."
He hopes the message will find an audience in Singapore. "I think it will do well, because the love story inside the film is quite attractive," he said. He predicted that young viewers would be drawn to the romance, while older audiences might respond to something else.
"They might really want to hear the authentic Teochew dialect. If not, they might also see from the scenes some old scenery and local customs. I think the director is very skilled at portraying the characters in a very lifelike, natural way. Senior audiences might find some resonance there," he added.
Neo also sees potential for cross-border collaboration. He spoke of two ideas. The first is a Qiaopi story set in Singapore against the backdrop of the Japanese occupation, when overseas Chinese remittances to support China's war effort drew violent reprisals.
The other is a modern take on Takeover (《人在旅途》), a Singaporean television drama that became a cult favorite in China. "Singaporeans are very familiar with Takeover, and mainland friends are also very familiar with it," he said. "That's a rare common ground. If we can turn that into a film, at least that theme song can bring back a lot of memories."
Singapore's film market, Neo noted, is tiny—roughly 3.5 million Mandarin-speaking viewers. "China is certainly a very big market for us," he said. "We all hope that, with coordination between both sides, we can make films that can be released in the mainland market. That's the dream of every Singaporen filmmaker."
Reporter: Guo Zedong
Video & Cover: Zeng Xiangxing
