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Once Upon a Time in the Middle East
Film
81 reactions from 3 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon, TMDB reviews) · newest Oct 16, 2026 · last updated Oct 16, 2026 · How this works
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| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluesky * | 24 | 2 | 46 |
| Mastodon * | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| TMDB reviews * | 1 | 0 | 0 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
What people are saying
A written summary appears once the title has a score.
At a glance
Dear You is a 2026 drama comedy film, directed by Lan Hongchun, starring Li Sitong, Wang Yantong and Wu Shaoqing.
- 65 people have posted about this film on Bluesky, Mastodon, TMDB reviews
- posts span Mar 2, 2025 to Oct 16, 2026
Assembled from TMDB, Wikidata and Steam fields and our own counts, nothing written by a model. Method
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
81 public posts have mentioned Dear You so far, but it needs 10 opinionated reactions from checked sources before it gets a score. Seen it? Post your take.
The Experts
81%
avg of 3 sources
The People
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audience score
Reactions
60 of 81 · most liked firstYall im about to see a movie called Dear You in theaters that speak my dialect of Chinese (teochew) and because the diaspora is so broad/wide and I was born in rural Georgia AND the language isn’t mandarin or cantonese I never felt “Chinese enough”?? But anyways this is a cool feeling and im excited
positive · AI labelView post →NEW: In Toronto, NAZA was the No. 1 film at the TIFF Lightbox this weekend, earning a very strong $19,539, more than double the theatre's next most popular title (which was Lan Hongchun's family drama DEAR YOU).
neutral · AI labelView post →Being half Taiwanese and half Chinese Indonesian, I find myself amused that mere months prior, China was trumpeting Dear You—a movie about Chinese Thai descendants—and now it is adulating the man behind the ethnic cleansing of Chinese Indonesians in the 1990s. Wow, solidarity lol
neutral · AI labelView post →When I talk about a new #film that's just been a hit in China, rarely can I say to you, that it's coming to the U.K. Well, Dear You has! Here's my article about it, go and see it, it's brilliant, especially if you like Asian #culture, indie #cinema and #history. snowpavilion.co.uk/dear-you-the...
positive · AI labelView post →Interesting how topical this thread has become There's currently a big movie out of China called "Dear You" about Teochew migrants in 20th century Thailand notable because it's almost entirely shot in Teochew But initially Singapore limited Chinese screenings not in the official Mandarin
neutral · AI labelView post →#DearYou' s director #LanHongchun on the film's surprise success, its real-life family reunions and its arrival at TIFF's China Film Showcase. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
neutral · AI labelView post →Just came back from watching "Dear You" / << 給阿嬤的情書 >>! What a wonderful movie.... It sure hit real close to home 🥲💖 Going to bed early so I can sit with my feelings for a bit alksdfjklasjfalsjf
positive · AI labelView post →watched Dear You. i'm so fucked up right now. more comments when i get home but fuckkk. man. one of the best movies of the year. can't recall the last time i watched a movie that got me misty eyed on so many occasions
positive · AI labelView post →This is in direct response to a June controversy where a Chinese-produced Teochew film, Dear You, had difficulty screening in theaters. The PAP has mastered the art of maintaining its legitimacy within a dominant-party system by making modest reforms that don't alter the nature of the nanny state:
neutral · AI labelView post →Some thoughts on Dear You, a Teochew film set in Bangkok that unexpectedly became a major hit. www.coffeeparliament.com/p/a-teochew-...
neutral · AI labelView post →evidently the chinese movie Dear You is dropping in the states this weekend! i was super interested when i happened to read about how this was making waves in asia at large, exploring the difficulties of chinese diaspora in SEasia (namely thailand), so i'm hoping this'll hit me nice and hard
positive · AI labelView post →🚨 #Review: #DearYou: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (in select UK cinemas) "A vivid and moving celebration of Teochew identity and the communities that preserved it far from home...Lan Hongchun’s drama is a poignant tribute to the people separated by distance yet held together by words."
neutral · AI labelView post →The best part of the Jawbreaker documentary, Don't Break Down: A Film about Jawbreaker, is when one interviewee after another admits, "Yeah, Dear You pretty much fuckin' ruled." #topjamsky #vinylsky
neutral · AI labelView post →Wednesday September 9! 3:45pm -Dear You- “a definite crowd pleaser, very smartly written & directed” (Asian Movie Pulse) 6:30pm -The Lion King- 5 Stars! “a stunning, glorious family film” (Empire) 8:45pm -Exorcist II: The Heretic- “a masterpiece” (Den of Geek) “absolutely fascinating” (SyFy)
neutral · AI labelView post →Tuesday September 8! 3:45pm -Dear You- “a definite crowd pleaser, very smartly written & directed” (Asian Movie Pulse) 6:30pm -Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma- 5 Stars! “a triumph of genre cinema” (Starburst) 9:15pm -Boorman & the Devil- 5 Stars! “This is an essential film” (Eye For Film)
neutral · AI labelView post →On DEAR YOU 📨 "falls flat on characterization" - Alice Shih Plus: @peterhowellfilm.bsky.social Prabhjot Bains & @GlassmanMarc preview #TIFF26 @patmullen.bsky.social on Hot Docs' leadership And more! 🍿 torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...
neutral · AI labelView post →One Minute Movie Review: Dear You 🎥🇨🇳💌✍️ #DearYou #movie #film #fyp #moviereview Find me on @letterboxd: aliyalangley boxd.it/4mv7t No. 288
neutral · AI labelView post →China’s Teochew-language film Dear You is resonating across Southeast Asia, stirring debate over diaspora, identity, cultural influence and soft power.
neutral · AI labelView post →My final review for NYAFF 2026, "Dear You" is a bittersweet movie about the power of love told through a specific cultural lens. I highly recommend it and, so far, it is my favorite film of the year. www.pglagowski.com/articles/nya...
positive · AI labelView post →Thanks to @zaobao & @thinkchina for reaching out to me to write this piece. It remains curious to me how many people see the movie Dear You as a take-it-or-leave it proposition. People either have to unquestioningly endorse it or are seen to completely reject it. www.thinkchina.sg/society/how-...
neutral · AI labelView post →Absolutely loved this deeply moving film today at @thegardencinema.bsky.social: youtu.be/qIjOCYltUqA?is. Don’t look up any detailed synopsis beforehand, it will spoil it; just find a screening at your local pronto, before it disappears… #DearYou #Teochew #Chinese #cinema
positive · AI labelView post →DEAR YOU: the mainland box office hit is now in HK cinemas, balancing period melodrama & wholesome values with a genuinely fascinating story about Teochew migrants in post-war Thailand, the dormant art of qiaopi remiitance letters & a star-making turn from Li Sitong: www.scmp.com/lifestyle/en...
neutral · AI labelView post →SCMP: Is hit indie film Dear You propaganda? Don’t be disrespectful, Global Times media says to Singapore
neutral · AI labelView post →Lowkey got a headache from focusing on Chinese dialect for a few hours lmao BUT omg the movie i went to watch with the boi tonight was really good and got me a lil (a lot) emotional 🥹 Highly recommend the movie Dear You!!!
positive · AI labelView post →Saw Dear You last night, and it was a beautiful tear-jerking movie about the Teochew diaspora in Southeast Asia (specifically set between Thailand and the Teo-Swa region of China). I highly recommend seeing it in theaters while it's still out in North America!!
positive · AI labelView post →📺More TV on the big screen: Rangos beams in 2 eps of Star Trek TOS. And they've got RoboCop (OG movie) 🎟️AMC Waterfront still indispensable: Dreams in Nightmares, Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, Dear You, Hope, and The Sun Never Sets are some intriguing new ones www.pghcinema.com/listings/c3b...
neutral · AI labelView post →[Film Review] Lan Hongchun’s “Dear You” is a Masterclass in Captivating and Heartfelt Storytelling "Dear You" will debut in North American theaters on September 4. #DearYou #LanHongchun #Films #Chinesefilms
neutral · AI labelView post →Dear You stuck with me more than any other film this month, Detective Conan was just too much fun. The Yokai in the Yokai films are too charming, and I really enjoyed the story of the Odyssey, more than the film, but enough to put it in the 5th spot. I’d recommend Dear You and the Yokai films.
positive · AI labelView post →Dear You is indeed a movie worth watching. thesun.my/lifestyle/ho...
neutral · AI labelView post →I saw an incredible this week. If you can see #DearYou at a cinema near you I highly recommend it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
positive · AI labelView post →I finally got to watch the movie 给阿嬷的情书 in its original Teochew language. A heartwarming and touching movie on our intangible cultural heritage. Thinking about writing my thoughts and feelings on the movie. Dear You《给阿嬷的情书》Official Trailer youtu.be/-PBOEH9Pj-g
positive · AI labelView post →Went to the cinema 2 days in a row 😏 @sczinireland.bsky.social brought me to see a Chinese movie “Dear You”…lump in my throat for the whole thing, I was nearly balling 😭 . It will definitely win awards, if not an Oscar! #dearyou ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
positive · AI labelView post →Heading to see a small Chinese movie called Dear You
neutral · AI labelView post →Exciting news! The hit Chinese film 'Dear You' arrives in North America, Australia, and New Zealand this June! #DearYou #CMCpictures #ChineseCinema #Movies #GeekNews https://ftwr.cloud/en/news/8af354bf-8585-4414-a6ca-e102773d5212
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm watching The Violinist later and I got lots to say about the movie and on the subject of local cinema even before watching this film (we got Dear You (not even local btw LMAO) and Anthony Chen this year) but honestly the main thing is uh, I'd kinda rather be watching Digger again.
negative · AI labelView post →Back to Love: How a Modest Film About Romance and Culture Led Hongchun Lan to Dear You. Now showing in Singapore cinemas. kevinmathews.substack.com/p/back-to-lo...
neutral · AI labelView post →The low-budget dialect film Dear You is both an unexpected hit in global box offices and a flashpoint for wider debates around the politics of language, diaspora and memory, write Yuk Wah Chan and Sin Yee Koh.
neutral · AI labelView post →I'm super excited to see the movie Dear You (给阿嬷的情书) this weekend! It's about immigrants from the Chaoshan region in China to Thailand in the early 20th century. There were so many people who emigrated during that time and I'm expecting that this story will […] [Original post on infosec.exchange]
neutral · AI labelView post →This $2M Chinese film made $300M and sparked a tourism boom www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie... How a Small Chinese Drama Became a $300 Million Phenomenon 'Dear You' director Lan Hongchun on the film's surprise success,its real-life family reunions and its arrival at TIFF's China Film Showcase
neutral · AI labelView post →WEEK 37 2026 - NOW PLAYING & STREAMING 🎟 The Uprising Practical Magic 2 Hope Runner If I Go Will They Miss Me Chad Powers S2 The Drop: A Snowfall Saga Why Did I Get Married Again? The Gentlemen S2 The Paper S2 Go Team! Call My Agent: The Movie The Fix The Condor Daughter On a String Dear You
neutral · AI labelView post →Thursday September 10! 3:45pm -Dear You- “a definite crowd pleaser” (Asian Movie Pulse) 6:30pm -Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma- 5 Stars! “a triumph of genre cinema” (Starburst) 9:15pm -Mystery Science Theater 3000: The RiffTrax Experiments: Sting Of Death- Canadian Premiere!
neutral · AI labelView post →I highly recommend watching the movie "Dear You". It was beautiful and bittersweet, but I must warn you to only watch it in theaters if you're okay with crying with every other theatergoer. Bring tissues!! (I did not bring enough) youtu.be/abeSQSbNXSk
positive · AI labelView post →Monday September 7! 1:30pm -The Lion King- 4/4 Stars! “pure magic” (Maimi Herald) 3:45pm -Dear You- “a definite crowd pleaser” (Asian Movie Pulse) 6:30pm -Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home- “hugely entertaining” (BBC) 9:30pm -Exorcist II: The Heretic- “a masterpiece” (Den of Geek)
neutral · AI labelView post →I have reviewed CHRONOVISOR (a conspiracy thriller that makes watching someone read a book look exciting, my favorite movie of the year so far), as well as DEAR YOU (a hit Chinese drama that is also about finding truth in the archives) www.butteredpopcorn.org/p/movie-revi...
neutral · AI labelView post →Just got out of Dear You I cant see another movie topping it this year for me. What a movie
positive · AI labelView post →Next Week in Tickets for 4-10 September: ONSLAUGHT, BY ANY MEANS, FALL 2, AKIRA, DEAR YOU, CARS, THE SUN NEVER SETS (Joe Swanberg in person at @TheCoolidge.bsky.social), MIRZAPUR: THE MOVIE, I'M GAME, SAHAA, ROMANCHAKAM, and DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES open at Boston-area 'plexes (plus HOPE on Wednesday).
neutral · AI labelView post →Friday September 4! 3:45pm -Dear You- Ottawa Premiere! “Dear You is an immensely rewarding emotional journey” (Movie Recs) 6:30pm -Star Trek: The Motion Picture- “a true cinematic spectacle” (TIFF) 9:30pm -Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma- 5 Stars! “a triumph of genre cinema” (Starburst)
neutral · AI labelView post →DEAR YOU Review: Lan Hongchun’s Latest Generational Triumph, Sincerely Yours https://filmcombatsyndicate.com/dear-you-lan-hong-chun-movie-review/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #Reviews #Theatrical #dearyou
neutral · AI labelView post →Opening Friday is the completely under the radar film DEAR YOU about a man going to find a lost relative and finding more. It's a glorious film that is full of people you will know from your life. One of the great finds of 2026 See it unseenfilms.net/2026/09/dear...
positive · AI labelView post →Dear You – Ottawa Premiere screenings on September 4, 7 - 10! “Anchored by strong performances and a touching exploration of migration, loss and connection” (Flick Feast) “a definite crowd pleaser, very smartly written and directed” (Asian Movie Pulse) mayfairtheatre.ca/movie/dear-y...
neutral · AI labelView post →Check out our reviews of recent Asian hits "Demon Hunters" and "Dear You". #movies #MovieSky
neutral · AI labelView post →Dear You: Anti-Imperialist Film Club asawinstanley.substack.com/p/dear-you-a...
neutral · AI labelView post →牛来 (roughly translated as “Come here, cow) is probably the wackiest story of “the little movie that could” that I've ever heard. Like the recent unexpected blockbuster Dear You, it made multiple times profit of it's tiny budget. But unlike Dear You, people […] [Original post on hachyderm.io]
neutral · AI labelView post →Oh... there's no motivation I have to re-watch that movie. I'm looking forward to the movie "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East". I think it's coming out in theaters soon, but I'm not inclined to see it in a theater. Another new one is "Dear You". I'm impatient w/ unsubstantial flicks these days.
negative · AI labelView post →This year I have enjoyed quite plenty of Thailand film. Recently I also watch Thai film “Gohan” it was also very heart warming film. Although “Dear You” are Chinese production movie played in Thailand while Gohan is played in Thailand with Japanese actors. Bad Genius also 👌🏻
positive · AI labelView post →last Dear You note: it’s my first time hearing teochew and i think the variant they spoke in the movie might be more comprehensible to me (well, reverse-engineer-able with the help of eng subs) than spoken TW? or maybe the audio was just extra clear. anyway it was interesting!
neutral · AI labelView post →How Lan Hongchun’s Teochew Film ‘Dear You’ Turned a Forgotten Postal Tradition Into China’s Unlikely Hit: ‘Dialect Is Never Going to Be a Liability as Long as You Have Great Ideas’ Four people. One letter. An ocean between them. To send a letter home from Bangkok in the 1950s, an over… #media #news
neutral · AI labelView post →#ICYMI The review to the only film I watched in midst of #2026WorldCup, #DearYou: littlemissdiana.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-lo... #dearyoumovie #给阿嬷的情书 And why the film hit such a raw nerve for me personally: littlemissdiana.blogspot.com/2026/07/why-... #longread
positive · AI labelView post →Watched #DearYou 3 weeks ago, or known as #给阿嬷的情书, the review on my blog: littlemissdiana.blogspot.com/2026/07/a-lo... From Saturday, why #dearyoumovie hit quite a nerve for me personally: littlemissdiana.blogspot.com/2026/07/why-... #longread The only film I watched in midst of #2026WorldCup.
positive · AI labelView post →Dear You, Dear We — A few weeks ago, my wife and I went to watch the surprise-hit movie Dear You. The movie is great: it really brought to life how the people of my … — via @pjteh.bsky.social inquivision.com/posts/2026-0...
positive · AI labelView post →
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