Inspired by an online comic strip with a huge following and grossing 12.5 million yuan during its advance screening, “Go Away Mr. Tumor” seems promising.
The rom-com is Han Yan’s film adaptation of cartoonist Xiang Yao’s comic series. Xiang also went by the pseudonyms "Bearton" and "Xiong Dun."
Bai Baihe (“Monster Hunt”) portrays a cancer-stricken lady who finds solace making comic strips that reflect her feelings, wishes and other things.
Daniel Wu (“The Banquet,” “That Demon Within”) plays a doctor in the movie.
Also joining the cast is Li Yuan and Zhang Zixuan, the recipient of the 2012 LeTV Award for Most Influential TV Actress for her role in Teng Huatao’s drama TV series, “Fashion Girl Editor.”
Teng directed Bai and Zhang in the 2011 blockbuster rom-com, “Love Is Not Blind.” It was Zhang’s first movie, which earned her a nomination in the Best New Performer category on the 31st Hundred Flowers Award in September 2012 and on the 49th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards (Golden Horse Award) in Nov. 2012.
China Internet Information Center reported that Xiang was rushed to the hospital in Aug. 2011 after collapsing prior to weeks of being ill. She was later informed that a malignant tumor was found in her body.
Wanting to cheer herself up in between the chemotherapy sessions, Xiang thought of narrating her ordeal through comic strips.
Xiang’s comic strips became an online sensation. Support and adulation poured in, fans emerged, and a book featuring her work was published, with more than a million copies already sold.
So great and so deep is the impact of what Xiang did amid her condition that her life and her comic strips became the inspiration for the making of “Go Away Mr. Tumor.”
As for the former art and fashion designer, the dreaded illness never went away.
Lymphoma finally claimed Xiang’s life on Nov. 16, 2012. She was 30.
“Go Away Mr. Tumor” hits local theaters on Aug. 13. It will also be released in selected cinemas in America and Canada, with an opening day either on Aug. 13 or 14.