25. Adoring; movie review

ADORING
Cert 12A

108 mins
BBFC advice: Contains infrequent strong language

The everyfilm challenge's early-year momentum found me in Sheffield, combining a trio of films, starting with Larry Yang's Chinese box office hit Adoring.
This is the soppiest movie about animals I have seen in a very long time - a non-stop cutesy fest, as actors exchange dewy eyes with dogs, cats and even a pig.
Ok, I'm not the type of a devoted animal-lover at which this film is squarely aimed.
It presents six parallel stories which show how the love of animals can also bring people together.
The first melt-your-heart candidate is a golden retriever whose teenage owner (Zhang Zifeng) is trying to train it to be of help to a long-standing classmate (Leo Wu) who has recently gone blind.

Her friend is going through a tough period of acclimatisation so is feeling as if the world is against him - but even he can't take his frustration out on a dog who is simply trying to be his guide.
In the same neighbourhood, a young fella (Tan Jianci) uses the ruse of a trapped kitten to attract a young woman (Kan Qingzi) with OCD.
There is also a lass (Yang Zishan) who finally finds out that her boyfriend (Wallace Chung Han-Liang) hasn't asked her over because he is besotted with his pet... a rather large pig!
And then there is the rottweiler who is rather too protective of his owner (Zhong Chuxi) after she gets married, a divorced dad (Yu Hewei) who looks after his daughter's cat while she is away with her mother in America and a restaurant delivery man (Kevin Guo Qilin) who is helped finding addresses by a lovable stray mongrel who faces being rounded up.
Yep, a lot is being packed in during Yang's film.
And at every point, there is the potential of an "ooh" or an "aah" as an animal does something which people other than me would perceive as endearing.
Of course, there are also parallel messages about how we can learn to be better humans.
At moments such as this, I have to question the advent of recliners in Odeon Deluxe cinemas - they have a nasty habit of lulling me towards the land of nod during dull moments.
I'm afraid that there are so many of those during Adoring that I was surprised I wasn't in a deep sleep.
Nevertheless, I recognise that romantics and pet-owners may well like it.

Reasons to watch: If you are a devoted pet-owner
Reasons to avoid: If you don't find animals cutesy

Laughs: None from me - a couple from the others in the audience
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? The pet population in China has increased from 389 million to 755 million between 2013 and 2017.

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